 | King Lear |  |
"How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is
To have a thankless child!" Act I, scene iv
Written: 1605
Shotgun Players ; May 13, 2006 Berkeley, CA, USA
Starring :
Reviewed on : 2006-05-21 16:50:55 ; Reviewed by : Denise Battista
| The Shotgun Players' presentation of King Lear, directed by Patrick Dooley
and Joanie McBrien, is an outward spectacle. An elaborate collage of
information, quotations, and thematic declarations decorate the lobby at the
Ashby Stage in Berkeley, CA. The set is impressive, reenacting the interior
of a medieval castle, adorned with a hierarchy of stone steps that lead up
to the onstage entrances and exits. The play's recorded sound effects are
somewhat medieval themselves, yet they voice their opinions throughout the
play. The lighting is spectacular, creating a shadowed forest for Poor Tom,
and a spotted lightning storm for Poor Lear. And I found it wonderfully
refreshing to see a troupe tackle Shakespeare in period dress.
Unfortunately, many of the actors did not seem comfortable in their own
shoes.
This is a difficult play to tackle. Even Carey Perloff, artistic director
at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater, removed the well-promoted
Lear from their 2005 docket due to irreconcilable difficulties. The thing
that Dooley and McBrien's production lacks most is any sort of connection
between the actors. This is disappointing, because there are some fine
actors in this play. Richard Louis James portrays a most noble, and a most
tragic Lear. James makes a grand entrance in Act 1 -- leading with his
chin, fists on his hips, his breast filled with pomp and circumstance - as
he prepares to divide his kingdom into three. In every subsequent scene in
which James is present, he seems progressively and believably older and more
frail, and as his wits begin to turn, James uses his hands in a seeming
attempt to prevent his own head from cracking.
James is unfortunately undermined by the raging storm in Act 3, as the sound
and lighting effects blow Lear's demands of nature right out of the theater.
This unfortunate undermining (be it by the lights, the sounds, or some
lesser action occurring upstage) occurs several times throughout the play,
leaving the audience confused and unfocused as to where they should place
their eyes, and to whom they should lend their ears. But James captures the
audience's attention again when he enters the stage bedecked with weeds,
plucking petals from a small yellow daisy. His voice cracks and squeaks
with words of wise gibberish, his eyes are miraculously sunken, and he
appears to be truly mad as he runs offstage crying "Sa sa sa sa!" In his
final scene, James drags the strangled Cordelia (Zehra Berkman) onstage by
one of her arms, howling in such a manner that welled tears in my eyes. I
nearly burst smilingly.
In all of Shakespeare's plays, there are moments for which the audience
waits. In Lear, I wait for the plucking of Gloucester's eyes. The Shotgun
Players rightly choose to blind the audience during the climax of this
scene. The Duke of Cornwall, played by an intriguingly cruel Drew Anderson,
stands with his back to the audience as he pulls Gloucester's eyes from his
sockets. This is a good decision, as something so obscene and so incensing
rides the uncomfortable line between horror and hilarity. Gloucester (John
Mercer) is then revealed, bleeding rings and all, and the audience is left
to the wonder of their imaginations.
Of mention is Trish Mulholland, who plays a wonderfully wicked Goneril. Of
all the cast, Mulholland most impressively speaks the speech, as her lines
fall trippingly from the tongue. Her actions have clear motive, and she
succeeds in connecting with the other actors on the stage. As much as James'
portrayal of Lear moves me, I feel as though he presents a series of
soliloquies, rather than actions and interactions upon the stage. I did not
even feel a connection between Lear and his Fool, although I found Katja
Rivera an interesting Fool to watch. Rivera wore bloomers and a cup,
permitting her to make the most out of the Fool's many sexual puns, be it by
signaling, grabbing, or knocking on her newfound masculinity. She also has
an interesting way of surveying the perimeter of the stage when she is
present, but not speaking, in what I would call a sideways crabwalk. Again,
it is an outward spectacle in a play that cries out for insight.
Coleridge writes:
"Kent is, perhaps, the nearest to perfect goodness in all Shakespeare's
characters. There is an extraordinary charm in a bluntness.goodness of heart
is apparent."
I found myself uncharmed by Eric Burns' portrayal of Kent. After the
performance, the actors filled the stage for a most-appreciated Q&A. Burns
took this time to explain his motivation for Kent, stating that he watched
"a lot of CNN," in preparation, and in effect, modeled his character after
Colin Powell, in that his Kent should seem as though he would lay down his
life for his leader. I can understand this interpretation, regardless of my
own political views, but I was not sold on the result. Their was a tinge of
sarcasm in Burns' tone as I listened to him defend the newly banished
Cordelia, and as Kent, himself, was banished, his tone was almost as though
he could care less. James is undoubtedly blunt in his delivery of lines,
but his motive is questionable, leaving Lear open to taking a bullet in the
Shotgun Players' presentation.
James, like many of the actors, finds his footing about halfway into the
production. As a critic, I try to review a play as soon as it opens, so
that people can make a more informed theatrical decision based on my grain
of salt. As a human being, I understand that the first few nights of a
production can double as rehearsals. I have faith that this troupe will
come together in the next few weeks, and the actors will achieve a mode of
communication that will prove that this production is about something, and
that something quite grand can come of it.
The Shotgun Players production of King Lear is being performed at the Ashby
Stage in Berkeley, CA through June 11, 2006. www.shotgunplayers.org
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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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