King Lear
The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford
Cast
The King of France … Ben Addis
Goneril … Frances Barber
Knights … Adam Booth
Richard Goulding
Gerald Kyd
Lady-in-Waiting … Zoe Boyle
Doctor … Russell Byrne
Maid … Naomi Capron
Regan … Monica Dolan
Cordelia … Romola Garai
Duke of Gloucester … William Gaunt
Albany … Julain Harries
Oswald … John Heffernan
Duke of Burgundy … Peter Hinton
Duke of Kent … Jonathan Hyde
Servant … Melanie Jessop
Curan … Seymour Matthews
Fool … Sylvester McCoy
King Lear … Ian McKellen
Edgar … Ben Meyjes
Gentleman … David Weston
Duke of Cornwall … Guy Williams
Edmund … Phillip Winchester
The second and considerably more high-profile of the two King lear's I attended, Trevor Nunn's production was impressive for many reasons. Firstly was the initially subtle decay of the set, which was suddenly brought to the audience's attention during the dramatic heath scene, where the royal curtains suddenly come crashing down revealing a bare stage. But of course, the true genius of Shakespeare's work will always be the very human conflict which occurs.
McKellen's Lear hits all the right points, initially he is pompous and cantakerous, but as his mind begins to unravel and his world falls apart, we feel for him. He also manages to pull of the line that many Lears struggle with 'Howl, howl, howl' which, in the wrong hands, can be quite laughable, but hear it is utterly heart wrenching. Not sure about the need for full frontal nudity though... The sisters are good, Frances Barber's pantomime villainess Goneril, Monica Dolan's cruel Regan, who gets some sort of ecstasy from seeing poor Gloucester eyes ripped out, and even Cordelia, played with more of an edge than usual by Romola Garai. Other standouts were Jonathan Hyde as Kent, Sylvester McCoy's Fool, and Phillip Winchester's as the always excellent Edmund. Overrall, an incredibly enjoyable staging of one of Shakespeare's best pieces.
McKellen's Lear hits all the right points, initially he is pompous and cantakerous, but as his mind begins to unravel and his world falls apart, we feel for him. He also manages to pull of the line that many Lears struggle with 'Howl, howl, howl' which, in the wrong hands, can be quite laughable, but hear it is utterly heart wrenching. Not sure about the need for full frontal nudity though... The sisters are good, Frances Barber's pantomime villainess Goneril, Monica Dolan's cruel Regan, who gets some sort of ecstasy from seeing poor Gloucester eyes ripped out, and even Cordelia, played with more of an edge than usual by Romola Garai. Other standouts were Jonathan Hyde as Kent, Sylvester McCoy's Fool, and Phillip Winchester's as the always excellent Edmund. Overrall, an incredibly enjoyable staging of one of Shakespeare's best pieces.
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