Earlier this evening, I attended the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company's production of "King Lear." Inspired by "The Wizard of Oz," this adaptation was staged in an intimate, sparsely-lit space on the second floor of Washington Hall. It was an energetic performance, full of confident and skilled actors. I do not regret attending.
Before I get into all that I enjoyed, I want to make a single critique. It pertains to the inclusion of the dancing scene. The choreography was not well executed, the scene dragged, and its length felt unnecessary. While the actors were meant to appear inebriated, and perhaps the butchering of the dance was intentional, the entire sequence felt out of place and awkward, even considering the unusual setting. It disrupted the otherwise tight rhythm of the production.
The first half of the show, before intermission, was highly entertaining. We were introduced to King Lear (Tommy Liddy) and his three daughters, the traitorous duo Regan (Isabel Olesinski) and Goneril (Miriam Rice), as well as the authentically doting and tragic Cordelia (Lily Brustkern).
The production shone brightest in its more serious, tragic scenes. The performances between Gloucester (Caroline Long) and Edgar (Will Barrett) were among the most memorable. Their chemistry was powerful, and their acting impassioned. Both the beginning of their relationship, which was a veiled reunification, and Gloucester's revelation that the man leading her around was her son Edgar, were stellar when I watched them, and bordering on sublime as I replay them in my head.
I found that Edmund's (Meaghan Northup) performance was decent when the play began, but became exponentially more charming as the play progressed. The scene of her death was particularly well executed — from the angle of my seat, it was cinematic.
Here are some miscellaneous appreciations:
Goneril — despite being limited by the script, having fewer opportunities for theatrical display — still delivered a consistently strong performance. Her delivery was always clear and focused, steady, consistent and well acted.
The costume design in combination with the calm yellow lighting did more than enough to bring the audience into a Dust Bowl atmosphere — an effect that seems hard to attain with such a minimal set.
While I criticized the dance sequence, I found the choreographed fight scenes to be a standout aspect of the production. All fight scenes were — in my mind — executed perfectly. The prime example of their prudent effort was a particularly well-feigned head bump into one the pillars of Washington Hall's Lab Theatre performed by the Duke of Albany (Luke Monson) that filled me, and I imagine the rest of the audience, with a sense of reverence — starry-eyed awe.
Lastly, I was impressed with the actors' line memorization. I was impressed not only by the quantity of lines memorized, but also the complexity and the non-mnemonic nature of what they were reciting made it much more noteworthy.
In all, this "King Lear" was an ambitious, engaging and moving production. It offered a fresh and memorable take on a classic tragedy. Go see "King Lear" this weekend, if they're not sold out yet — Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12 at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, April 13 at 4:00 p.m.
