King Lear: A review. (Seen 25/08/2016)

 Sir Anthony Sher:

Sir Anthony Sher

 

You’ve probably heard it said that some people can command a room with their very presence. Some of you will have seen Gandalf silence people by growing in size and stature. Sir Anthony Sher (Star of Richard the Third) commanded the attention of the theatre with every line he spoke. He wasn’t just acting King Lear, he was King Lear. Whether challenging the storm or sitting on the cart with the body of his daughter, you felt that you were watching the man, not an actor. When he was angry you felt his anger. When he was distraught you felt his despair. I can say no more than that. It is a performance that begs to be watched and understood.

David Troughton:

 

I wanted to draw attention to the Earl of Gloucester or David Troughton because alongside Sir Anthony Sher his performance in this production of King Lear deserves it. In particular the scenes in which he is blind brought emotion to the stage which save for the actors was bare, his interactions with his son Edgar (beggar Tom) are simple and profound throughout. In King Lear, Gloucester undergoes similar hardships. Hurt by his son Edmund for his trusted nature he, like Lear, is left with nothing. It is a story as tragic as Lear’s and he brings it to life from the second he steps onto the stage.

Paapa Essiedu:

 

Perhaps the performance I enjoyed the least. Edmund, the illegitimate son of Gloucester and primary schemer of the play, did not come across consistently. With moments of brilliance and some great speeches throughout King Lear, I also felt there were moments when I couldn’t take him seriously. I just couldn’t feel the malice that the words were attempting to portray. For me his performance would have been better if there was less comedy in the way he sometimes performed and more venom.

Costume:

The costuming for this performance was brilliantly done, evolving with the characters as they rose and fell throughout the play. A good example of this was King Lear himself, starting in royal attire slumped in his throne he then changed into heavy furs. As he fell from grace with his daughters and lost everything he had King Lear lost the layers as he became just the man and not the king. In the end despite the potential he dies in the same simple clothes he is captured in originally showing that the man Lear was the one that forgave his daughter Cordelia and was not the same King Lear that stripped her of all worth at the start of the play. This same pattern is followed for Gloucester and his rise and fall in the play.

Contrary to this Edmund’s clothing gets grander throughout the play. From simple shirt and trousers to a gold embroidered black shirt his costume evolves with his treachery. Edgar’s costume also goes from beggar to well dressed when his fortune takes an upswing.

Regardless of the the costumes they were wearing, simple shirt or robes the costuming was well done and appropriate, reflecting or opposing the state of the people and their surroundings throughout.

 

Stage:

I personally felt that whilst more minimalist than expected the props used were used to full effect. My favourite moment in the entire play is Lear raised on a platform with a great golden sheet flapping behind him and reflecting light as the ‘Storm’ raged. With only the actors and this set up you could feel the storm, in fact the first clap of thunder made several people jump rocking the seats. I found this to be very effective as it put the focus on the actors with the spotlights who rose to the occasion and filled the empty space with ease.

Music:

The music as with most visual mediums added that little something extra to help the words of the actors carry weight. despite being few in number the combination of the vocal percussion and brass punctuated the performance. As with the staging the moment the music came into its own was the thunderstorm, it was loud, it was fairly terrifying and conveyed the futility of King Lear’s speech perfectly.

Overall Impression:

I would heartily recommend that anyone with the time, inclination or interest in theatre go and see this production. Sir Antony Sher makes the production worth seeing on his own and it is only improved by the rest of the cast. Epic and well acted throughout my only gripe was that I felt the humour they added detracted from the tragedy of King Lear. I can understand why it was done, King Lear is a dark and bleak play, it can be quite difficult to watch. For me that deep tragedy is what makes King Lear and I would have liked the performance to have been a little less humorous. Despite this I would still declare this production a triumph. If you are interested shows run until the end of October, a link to the royal company website is included below.

Best wishes

H

Here is a link to the Royal Shakespeare Company Website:

https://www.rsc.org.uk/

 

All images used in this piece are used non commercially and rights to them are maintained by their respective publishers.