Friday 15th March 2013
Image: www.peoples-theatre.co.uk/
Nature, reason and mortality are themes explored by
Shakespeare’s bleakest tragedy, played out tonight at The People's Theatre on a bare brick stage
populated by beggars and scraps of rubbish.
Tony Childs gave a powerhouse performance as Lear, perhaps
more convincing as the distraught madman of later scenes than as the blustering
monarch at the beginning of the play, but was consistently engaging and
line-perfect.
One of the best performances came from Sam Hinton, who was
clearly enjoying himself immensely as the thoroughly villainous Edmund,
savouring his monologues as if they were rare delicacies. Sarah Scott and Rye
Mattick acquitted themselves well as the scheming Regan and Goneril, cackling
and strutting the stage like analogues of Disney’s Maleficent.
Some unfortunate technical glitches affected tonight’s
performance, and elsewhere some of the dialogue was a little lost. However, this
was compensated for by a committed and well coordinated performance by the ensemble cast.
I did wonder if the modern dinner dress and Joanne Kelly’s female
(wise) Fool were intended as a statement on contemporary patriarchal society; the
People’s production of Lear, like the
best Shakespeare, is the beginning of a discussion.
The final performance of King
Lear is at 7.30 pm tonight. For full details, see http://www.peoples-theatre.co.uk/
