The Shakespeare tragedy where an aged King gives his kingdom to his two evil daughters and then goes mad. With some bits about a bastard and other duplicitousness.
I saw this play as a (non-paying) punter rather than as a volunteer, and even with my full concentration it was a little difficult to get into. I've only read the play once at uni, and seen a Russian film version, but I was unprepared for how little I could remember about it. By the end of the long, 2.5 hr production I was up to speed on who everyone was, what their deal was and the main plot points - before that it was a bit touch and go! Lear, Tim Piggott-Smith, and the whole company were excellent, bringing some real power and emotional heft to the roles. The second act I found to be much more dramatically exciting, the set changed and it felt like everything kicked up a gear. There was a particularly memorable and gruesome eye-gouging sequence and some smashing duels, along with a triumvirate of different guises from Sam Crane's Edgar. James Garnon's Edmund, bastard son of the Earl of Gloucester, was moustache-twirlingly devilish and amusing as the main villain.
but...
As I say, it took me some time to get into Lear - normally when watching Shakespeare, even one I'm unfamiliar with, I find after a short adjustment period I attune to the language and I'm away. I don't think this production helped by going at a fair speed, and then dressing the characters in a similar way to make it hard to distinguish Regan from Goneril or their husbands from each other. I also didn't think it was quite clear why Cordelia had decided to be so awkward at the beginning, and then buggered off til the very end. The Fool was also prominent in the first half and then disappeared - these grumbles of course are probably more issues with the source - Shakespeare did occasionally drop characters, or combine them so that actors could play dual roles.
briefly...
A powerful lead performance in a production that would have benefited either from an edit or a few pauses for breath.
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