Haunting is a word that immediately comes to mind from this new production of King Lear from the Royal Shakespeare Company. A perpetual haze envelops the stage throughout, and darkness and shadows complete the dire atmosphere of Albion. The stark and colorless lighting, complimented by a subtle but persistent bass drum soundtrack, foreshadow the impending doom that the play relentlessly drives toward.
While effectively setting a mood and environment for the characters, the technical elements took a backseat to the acting and text, which with Shakespeare, I believe, is their rightful place. Many scenes, especially in the first act, took place with merely a bench on the bare stage, allowing the audience to devote ample attention to the dialogue and behavior of the characters. Greg Hicks, while at times seeming too young to portray the weary Lear, delivers a masterful performance. His transformation from a shrewd and regal King in the beginning to a mad, half-naked psychotic in Act II is both captivating and terrifying. Another highlight is Sophie Russell’s portrayal of the Fool, which is full of intelligence and wit.
Small weaknesses in the production were its confusion of era and faulty set design. The juxtaposition of chandeliers with more modern lighting fixtures, swords with guns, and knights alongside uniformed soldiers created a jumbled and disjointed message, and left me in somewhat of a void. And while I enjoyed the set design, I could only enjoy what I was able to see, the contents of which did not include the large window that hovered over the stage. Given the fact that I was not in a restricted seat, I feel that the design could have been thought through more effectively.
Overall, I felt that the production was successful, and was driven by the acting and attention given to the text.
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