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A CurtainUp New Jersey Review
King Lear
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So young, and so untender?— Lear So young, my lord, and true. — Cordelia Let it be so; thy truth, then, be thy dower: For, by the sacred radiance of the sun, The mysteries of Hecate, and the night; By all the operation of the orbs From whom we do exist, and cease to be; Here I disclaim all my paternal care, Propinquity and property of blood, And as a stranger to my heart and me Hold thee, from this, for ever. — Lear |
Daniel Davis as King Lear and Erin Partin as his daughter Cordelia
(Photo: Jerry Goodstein) |
There probably also isn't a classically trained actor worth his sea-salt who, upon achieving a certain demented age and degree of confidence doesn't aspire to play the title character. In only the past two years there has been the opportunity to see such acclaimed actors as Kevin Kline portray King Lear at the Public Theater, as well as Ian McKellen, at BAM Harvey Theater in Brooklyn, and Brian Bedford, at Stratford Festival of Canada. The last Shakespeare Theater of NJ production in 1998 starred Harris Yulin, under the direction of Daniel Fish
Dramatically exposed madness not only makes for good theater but makes analysts of its observers. Objectified madness reigns in art. The diva who conquers the operatically expressed madness of Lucia di Lammermoor; the prima ballerina who envelopes the danced madness of Giselle may, indeed, enable a gifted performing artist to use that character's madness as a propellant. But it remains (my belief) for the actor, with his spoken words, to bring the abysmal darkness and impenetrable and mysterious depths of the mind to us in the most accessible terms. And this is what makes Daniel Davis's portrayal so splendid, resonant, emotionally real and realized.
Davis, who is making his first appearance with the Shakespeare Theater of NJ, has distinguished himself on Broadway (Wrong Mountain and the revival of La Cage Aux Folles) and at the top regional theaters across the country. It can now be said that he has scaled and conquered the heights.
But, does anyone ever think to consider King Lear from the daughters' point of view? Consider this: You have just been given a kingdom to rule by your father the king who is retiring not a minute too soon. You have no sooner moved into your new digs and your father decides he wants to come and stay for a month, first with you and then off to stay for a month with your sister who got the other half of the kingdom. Your old father arrives, not by himself and a valet, but with his full entourage and army. You haven't even had time to hang the new drapes and hire the kitchen help and here he is at the front door expecting you to welcome him and his court for a prolonged stay. Ungrateful of you perhaps, but it sure is enough to get you to conspire with your sister to take charge and keep the king, already plagued with advanced senility, in tow.
There is no denying that filial ingratitude plays a large part in King Lear but as produced by Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey, most of our attention will be on the extraordinarily fine performance of Davis in the title role. However, he is surrounded by an impressive troupe of supporting players and Monte's clearly focused and unfussy staging. Davis has a lock on the mentally deteriorating king, that won't let us take our eyes off of him. The obligatory white hair and beard cannot hide or compromise the utter despair and the abject disappointment he feels in those who professed to love him.
Monte's exciting and effective staging of this bi-level tragic tale of misjudging a person's character and royal deception in pre-Christian Britain is enhanced by a production that employs a visually stunning inventively constructed unit set of a craggy mountain, a cave and landscape, the work of designer Marion Williams. The set also works to evoke the interiors of various castles, battlefields and other locations without much effort. Steven Rosen's lighting design adds considerable scope to the atmospherics, especially in the famed storm scene. Also impressive is the percussive sound score/design by Karin Graybash.
One has to be in awe of the way the play masterfully blends two plot-lines. . The themes of old age and the different relationships of each child to his/her parent, in both the main and sub-plots, brings universal timelessness to each new generation of viewers. Briefly, the story details King Lear's misapprehension of his one daughter's devotion causing him to divide his kingdom between the remaining two daughters, who have feigned their love. The resulting web of deception by the wicked daughters to strip their father of all power, and at the same time involve and seduce Edmund, the bastard son of the Earl of Gloucester (who has the similar function in the sub-plot of deceiving his father by de nouncing his brother Edgar as a traitor), results in a downward spiral of devastating proportions.
The majestic sweep of the poetry is hardly surpassed in all of Shakespeare. The fight scenes are vividly addressed by Rick Sordelet. Despite the unit setting, this is a Lear that not short on pictorial effectiveness. However, there is enough spectacle in the dramatics to blow the mind ("When I do stare, see how the subject quakes"). Despite Lear's unstable mental state and his sheer physical deterioration as a factor, Davis creates an image of him that also expresses Lear's valiant grandeur amid glimmers of senile foolishness. The many dimensions of reality and insanity seem hardly a breath away from Davis's awareness. His body seems burdened, if not harassed by his seedy garments, Davis is, indeed, heartbreaking for being "more sinned against than sinning.," He also sustains his heartbreak, as he carries (a feat not always attempted) Cordelia's dead body on stage over his shoulder.
As the she-tiger, Goneril, Kristie Dale Sanders, pays due homage to conspicuous contempt. As the second daughter, Regan, Victoria Mack unravels her mischief with despicable conscientiousness. Of course, she is blonde, young and beautiful but Erin Partin has also found the key to unlock the uncomplicated affection of her father by third daughter Cordelia. Considering the touch of innocently misguided honesty in response to her father's loaded question, Partin gives Cordelia an air of nicely conceived credibility. Kevin Isola, as Edgar, gains our empathy not only for having to withstand having his dirt smeared body protected by a loin cloth, but also for the frenetic and frenzied delivery of his lines.
As his conniving false brother Edmund, Marcus Dean Fuller gives a convincing and charismatic performance. Ames Adamson is a sturdy Earl of Kent and Seamus Mulcahy impressively takes no back seat in addressing the impish doings and wise discourse of Lear's faithful fool. The Earl of Gloucester gets a wonderful interpreter in Edmund Genest, who appears to understand the role to the depths of its unreasonableness. It is good to report that all the poetry is heard with an understanding of its meter. Not something to be taken for granted. This is a King Lear that can be commended to all those who want to experience a production that forcefully and fearlessly compliments Shakespeare at his peak.
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King Lear By William Shakespeare Directed by Bonnie J. Monte Cast: King Lear/Daniel Davis; Goneril/ Kristie Dale Sanders; Cordelia/Erin Partin; Regan/ Victoria Mack; Earl of Kent/Ames Adamson; Earl of Gloucester/Edmond Genest; Edmund/ Marcus Dean Fuller; Duke of Albany/ Scott Whitehurst;Duke of Burgundy/Derrick; LeMont Sanders/King of France; Nathan Kaufman;Edgar/ Kevin Isola;Oswald/ Fisher Neal; Duke of Cornwall/Matt Bradford Sullivan; Set Designer: Marion Williams Costume Design: Clint Ramos Lighting Design: Steven Rosen Sound Design: Karin Graybash Running Time: 3 hours and 15 minutes including intermission Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey, The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theater (on the campus of Drew University), 36 Madison Avenue in Madison, N.J. 07940. 973 – 408 – 5600 Tickets ($38 - $53) Performances (07/2/08 to 07/27/08) Tuesday through Sunday Review by Simon Saltzman based on opening night performance 07/05/08 |
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