 | King Lear |  |
"How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is
To have a thankless child!" Act I, scene iv
Written: 1605
Chicago Shakespeare Theatre ; 2001 Chicago, Illinois
Starring :
Reviewed on : 2001-09-30 14:15:55 | Barbara Gaines' 2001 production of King Lear had no gimmick and no trick. This lack of a gimmick forced the audience to truly concentrate on the performances, the text and the action (in the literary sense of the word). This production evoked nothing if not concentrated performances. The audience itself became silent witness to the power of the spoken word. There was no doubt that Greg Vinkler was Lear. Because all attention was focused on the performances, it was easier to see the different styles inherent to each of the actors. The most powerful actors, those who were so much their roles, were Vinkler and Gudahl as Kent, two of the CST's strongest performers. Tim Gregory's performance as the villainous Edmund was also noteworthy. Gregory has, in my view, played mainly stalwart heroes and both his Proteus and his Edmund are interesting changes. I must note here as well that his costume was as distracting as his splendid physique and this perhaps distracted those inclined from the performance itself (O! Magnificent Codpiece!). I must assert here that I believe Lisa Dodson is becoming my favorite actor. She is so changeable, strong and magnetic that it almost becomes painful to tear ones eyes away from her. I am discovering that Gaines' productions tend to be rather straightforward and thus, in an edge of postmodern Warhol-ism, surprisingly refreshing.
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Sir John Gilbert, R.A.,
Lear and the Fool
Reviews
|  | Royal Shakespeare Company
March 4, 2010 |  | Everyman Theatre
July 22, 2009 |  | Theatre Project Si
November 13, 2008 |  | A Young Vic/Headlong Theatre/Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse co-production
November 5, 2008 | | Shakespeare’s Globe
June 1, 2008 |  | Royal Shakespeare Company
December 5, 2007 |  | Stratford Festival of Canada
August 4, 2007 |  | Goodman Theatre
September 19, 2006 |  | Marin Shakespeare Company
July 8, 2006 |  | Shotgun Players
May 13, 2006 |  | Actors' Shakespeare Project
October 1, 2005 |  | Piven Theatre Workshop
2001 |  | Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
2001 |  | AUN Company
2000 |  | Ninagawa Company/RSC
1999 |
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