KING
LEAR
Shakespeare's
Globe on Tour
19.08.2014
Back in the Globe before their transatlantic tour, an eight-strong company bring their warm, bold Lear to a packed, receptive audience.
It
begins with a casual but cordial walk-about, as the actor/musicians
exchange banter and pleasantries with the groundlings in the pit. And
then we're in to the tragedy, very clearly delineated, the
verse sharply and sensitively spoken.
This
a pared-down, booth-stage production, the costumes and props
suggesting a mid 20th
century setting. But most of the text survives, in a generous running
time [for a largely open-air tour] of 3 hours including the 15 minute
interval.
Joseph
Marcell is a lovable old Lear; his mad king is often
full of vigour; he rages splendidly against the storm. And, at the
end, with his dear Cordelia [Bethan Cullinane, who also plays a Fool
full of character] lying dead beside him, he looks hopefully at her
lips, then follows her fleeing soul up into the sky above the Globe.
A tremendous moment.
Strong
support from the hard-working cast – some amusing doubling –
including Bill Nash as the loyal Kent,
and Gwendolen
Chatfield and Shanaya Rafaat as the heartless
Goneril
and Regan.
Alex
Silverman's music – rough and ready, like the costumes and the
simple setting and furniture – uses a folk idiom, squeezebox and
brass, to excellent effect.
Uncluttered
and straightforward, this production keeps the complexities for the
heart and soul of the tragedy, in a strong,
emotional reading of the text.
