Theatre review of King
Lear at the Abbey Theatre
The
first production of King Lear in the Abbey Theatre for eighty years is
currently underway. The play shows how familial love and loyalty can be turned
on its head, all in the name of greed, envy, and power; and from the stylized
and choreographed opening the audience is aware that this is a different
approach to Shakespeare’s tragedy. The
actors on stage move to a base and almost primal beat, like the heartbeat of
the play itself. However, this heartbeat seemed to stutter at moments in the
production.
The
theatre leant itself to the spacious, and somewhat grand, set construction.
Vertical wooden beams, a second wooden level, and cave-like caverns to enter
the stage left and right all added to the mood on the stage. Different coloured
lights were used, not just to signify the time of day the scene was set in, but
to highlight the emotional state of the characters. There were flashes of stark
light signifying lightning, while a muted blue light reflected the emotional
turmoil in Lear’s own mind.
The
costumes used colour to great effect; red to show Goneril’s passionate nature,
green to mirror Regan’s envy and greed, light blue to reflect the peaceful
nature of Cordelia, and deep brown leathers and furs to symbolize Lear’s high
standing and character. The rest of the cast were almost exclusively dressed in
dark or dull colours, as if emphasising which characters exactly our eyes
should be drawn to. And drawn to them they were, perhaps to the detriment of
the overall impact of the production and the slight chagrin of the audience.
The
cast were not lacking in any way, perhaps just in their direction. Watching the
play and marvelling at the sets, lighting, and costumes can lead to the
realization that some of that fantastic detail should have been directed at the
actors and the content itself. Some characters sporting a specific accent
seemed to change nationalities between scene changes, with French and Northern
Ireland intonations melting into something else entirely. Although there has to
be an honourable mention for Lorcan Cranitch, when the blood from his
eye-gouging led to his beard attempting to escape from his face, he covered the
incident up with professionalism. A hand clutched to his face as he was dragged
moaning from the scene kept any hint of being clean-shaven strictly between him
and the hair and makeup department.
Another
somewhat unfortunate choice ended up with the audience responding to what were
originally emotional scenes with laughter. One scene in particular when Lear
and Gloucester meet, one lost in madness and the other having been blinded,
proceeded to the point where the image of Owen Roe’s Lear digging around in the
front of his trousers becomes permanently burned into the brains of those
watching. Lear then responded to Gloucester’s wish to kiss his hand with the
statement “Let me clean it first”, all of which the audience found enormously
funny. An emotional scene rich with possibilities was thus reduced to ridicule.
This
is not to say that Selina Cartmell’s production of King Lear should be avoided,
rather it is letting any theatre goer know in advance what the issues with the
play are so they won’t be so jarred on first viewing. Ignoring the somewhat
objectionable moments, it is a well acted and produced rendition of King Lear.
The set, lighting, and costumes are amazing and can sometimes approach the
subjects involved with an unexpected subtlety. However, there is no question
that the shining light of the production was Owen Roe’s portrayal of King Lear.
He added an emotion and vulnerability to the character that can just not be
felt in a simple reading of the text. Whether he is in the grip of cruelty or
madness it is impossible to draw the eye away from the spectacle on stage. The
night of the play that this review is based on, Roe received a standing ovation
which was richly deserved. As he took his final bow the thunderous applause, so
close in sound to that of rain, echoed the storm in Lear’s mind that Roe had
portrayed to perfection.
There you have it! This students first attempt at a theatre review! Fingers crossed it all goes well.
Until next time!
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