Search Curtainup
SITE GUIDE
REVIEWS
REVIEW ARCHIVES
ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP
FEATURES
NEWS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
A CurtainUp Review
King Lear
|
I am a very foolish, fond old man,/ Fourscore and upward . . ..— Lear
|
Joseph Marcell
|
Those who saw the company's double-bill last season on Broadway, Twelfth Night and King Richard III, will recall the incomparable Mark Rylance in the lead roles and regret that this doesn't deliver the same caliber of acting. Led by Joseph Marcell, and supported by a seven-member ensemble, this presentation is notable for a very different reason: it launches a partnership between Shakespeare's Globe and the NYU Skirball Center that promises to bring more Shakespearean classics to New York in the future.
' This production does set itself apart from the five Lears I've seen this year by its clear emphasis on the ensemble. Even before the play proper begins, one can watch the cast as they gradually transition into their roles on stage, chat with audience members in the front row, or stroll down the aisles to create a more intimate atmosphere in the theater. By the time the actual performance begins, one feels that the fourth wall has been cleanly broken through.
This Lear is the epitome of transparency. All the houselights are up during the performance to simulate Shakespeare's original Globe Theater, and its present–day replica, in London. Jonathan Fensom's set is a latter-day version of the Elizabethan booth stage design, which was popular in Shakespeare's day for touring productions. With its plain wooden two-level structure, the set has a makeshift air but very authentic feel. Composer Alex Silverman and choreographer Georgina Lamb creat some original music and dance sequences that add a country flavor.
Marcell is competent as the titular character but doesn't project the full stature and emotional range to pull off this Herculean role. Perhaps his performances in the UK and Europe have made him too settled into his part.
The supporting ensemble members are likewise able (Gwendolen Chatfield, Bethan Cullinane, Alex Mugnaioni, Bill Nash, Daniel Pirrie, Shanaya Rafaat, and John Stahl) but don't add anything really new to their individual parts. A scene where Daniel Pirrie's Edmund must morph into the servant Oswald and then revert himself back to his former character in a beat conspicuously fails to sustain Lear's tragic tone and undercuts the profound evil within the character Edmund and the psychological complexities of the play at large.
What does succeed is Shakespeare's poetry. In spite of this production's overly comic touches, the stunning language still surfaces. In short, Lear is pretty much an indestructible warhorse on stage.
|
King Lear by William Shakespeare Directed by Bill Buckhurst Cast: Joseph Marcell (Lear), Gwendolen Chatfield (Goneril/Curan), Bethan Cullinane (Cordelia/Fool), Alex Mugnaioni (Edgar/Duke of Cornwall/Duke of Burgundy), Bill Nash (Earl of Kent), Daniel Pirrie (Edmund/Oswald/King of France), Shanaya Rafaat (Regan) and John Stahl (Earl of Gloucester/Duke of Albany/Doctor). Sets: Jonathan Fensom Costume Supervisor: Laura Rushton Composer: Alex Silverman Music Director: Bill Barclay Choreographer: Georgina Lamb Fight Director: Kevin McCurdy Stage Manager: Paul Russell The NYU Skirball Center at 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square. For tickets, visit www.nyuskirball.org 888.611.8183. From 9/30/14; opening 10/01/14; closing 10/12/14. Running time: 2 hours: 55 minutes with one intermission. Reviewed by Deirdre Donovan based on press performance of 10/01/14. |
|
REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email. . .also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. For a feed to reviews and features as they are posted add http://curtainupnewlinks.blogspot.com to your reader Curtainup at Facebook . . . Curtainup at Twitter Subscribe to our FREE email updates: E-mail: esommer@curtainup.comesommer@curtainup.com put SUBSCRIBE CURTAINUP EMAIL UPDATE in the subject line and your full name and email address in the body of the message. If you can spare a minute, tell us how you came to CurtainUp and from what part of the country. |
|
Book of Mormon -CD