Lear’s Shadow

Shadow: (n) 1 a dark shape formed when an object blocks a source of light 2 reflected image 3 spirit, ghost 4 actor, player. “Lie here and rest a while” An old man in a dressing gown shuffles into the space carrying a box. Out of the box pour the objects, people, wrongs, jokes, mistakes, laughter and regrets that make up a life. Over the next seventy minutes he is swept up by moments in the journey that brought him here, to this great stage of fools: the loss of three daughters, the loss of his knights, the loss of his fool, the loss of his wits. Oh, and the storm. Don’t forget the storm. When The Rain Came… Using only Shakespeare’s words Colin Hurley’s Lear’s Shadow is an inventive and engaging reflection on Shakespeare’s great domestic tragedy. Content warning: this piece includes vivid representations of poor parenting.