King Lear - Young People's Shakespeare

Synopsis

King Lear divides his Kingdom between his daughters according to a declaration of their love for him. His eldest Goneril and Regan exaggerate their affection and inherit. His youngest daughter Cordelia speaks only the truth and is banished. So begins the tragedy of King Lear, whose dignity, sanity and finally life are torn from him by a self-seeking younger generation, ambitious for his power. What is love, what is madness, what is truth - Shakespeare explores these questions together with many others in King Lear, widely considered to be his greatest tragedy.

Our Review:

David Jobson - 12 September 2012

When asked during the post-show talk of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s latest Young People’s Shakespeare offering, King Lear, I rather struggled to find a moment that stood out for me.

The idea of setting the story of an old king’s struggle against his daughters in a modern Christmas should provoke some interesting and radical translations for the children. Indeed the jolly old Lear now imagines himself as Santa in his sleigh with his Fool dressed up in a reindeer suit. However the setting becomes merely a dressing for what is a shortened version of the text.

In addition, as Lear Paul Copley lacks the character’s rage and emotion that drives his downfall, and a number of the cast members are rather dull. Matt Sutton for one, does not get any laughter as the Fool. Some do stand out, such as Dharmesh Patel as Edgar, sporting a hoodie, as Poor Tom.

There are some interesting ideas. Matt Sutton for one, plays the Duke of Kent and the Fool combined, thereby...

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