King Lear
9th April 2005 at the Loft Theatre, Leamington Spa
Cast
King Lear … John Hathaway
Goneril … Ann Williams
Regan … Angie Collins
Cordelia … Libby McKay
The Duke of Albany … Mark Roberts
The Duke of Cornwall … Michael Rayns
The Earl of Gloucester … Jeremy Heynes
Edgar … Nicolas James
Edmund … Michael Bibb
The Earl of Kent … Tom O’Connor
The King’s Fool …Michael Seeley
The King of France … Chris Hudson
The Duke of Burgundy … Michael Hammond
Oswald … Tony Dixon
Old Man/Doctor … David Draper
Discovered by chance one day when we happened to be visiting, the Loft Theatre has a cozy environment and a casual feel to it (so casual in fact, that no one noticed the audience migrating backwards during the second half to avoid an effluent patron). My mother's favourite Shakespeare play, the first production of King Lear that we saw had a much lower budget than the second. However, this in no means detracted from an enjoyable performance. Michael's Bibb's Edmund was a particular standout, he made a three course meal of his opening soliloquoy, while the two villainous sisters were played with equal relish. Interestingly, the first act closed with the Fool surrounded by Gloucester's men, a change to Shakespeare's original that would also be seen in Trevor Nunn's version some years later.
No comments:
Post a Comment