King Lear
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Cititour.com Review
The granddaddy of all Shakespearean roles, King Lear has attracted the world’s finest actors over the past six decades from Orson Welles to Laurence Olivier, James Earl Jones, Christopher Plummer, Frank Langella, and Ian McKellen. If by some chance, you think John Lithgow isn’t up the task, just head on over to the Delacorte Theatre, where this multifaceted thespian is magnificently capturing all the majesty, moodiness, and madness of the Bard’s doomed monarch. It’s a must-see performance, even if Daniel Sullivan’s Shakespeare in the Park production of “King Lear” is ultimately more lucid than actually inspired.
Even with his prodigious white beard, the 68-year-old Lithgow may, at first, seem slightly spry as the octogenarian Lear, who impulsively decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, and lives to regret the decision after his two eldest children, Goneril (Annette Bening) and Regan (Jessica Hecht), treat him with such contempt and coldness that he temporarily loses his mind. But over the three-hour running time, Lithgow almost visibly ages. More importantly, he makes us feel real pity for the impetuous and sometimes grandiose Lear, who has indeed become old before he has become wise -- which is the true tragedy of this so-called tragedy.
Sullivan has achieved more mixed results than in such previous, superlative Delacorte productions as “The Merchant of Venice” and “Twelfth Night.” He’s not helped by John Lee Beatty’s gray multi-purpose platform set, backed by a large textured wall that obscures the rest of Central Park – a combination which robs the show of any visual appeal (and occasionally makes it confusing where the action is taking place).
In addition, the seemingly inspired casting of Bening -- absent from the New York stage for over two decades -- ends up as a major disappointment. The Oscar-nominated actress looks regal in Susan Hilferty’s costumes and speaks the text clearly, albeit with a slight tentativeness. But there’s neither sufficient fire nor lust (for flesh or power) in her portrayal of Goneril, making the character almost incidental to the action. Far better are Hecht, who summons up the vitriol and cunning beneath the seemingly soft-natured Regan, and Jessica Collins, who is the most intelligent, sympathetic Cordelia in my memory.
Among the many male players, standouts include Jay O. Sanders as the virile, loyal Kent; Steven Boyer as the younger-but-wiser Fool; Eric Sheffer Stevens as a properly oily Edmund, and Jeremy Bobb as Goneril’s thuggish servant, Oswald. In the show’s only bit of significant color-blind casting (a staple of Public Theater productions), the African American-actors Clarke Peters and Chukwudi Iwuji do well enough by the noble Earl of Gloucester and his wronged son, Edgar, though neither actor rises to the level of greatness. (Moreover, Iwuji’s overly-sculpted torso, while impressive, seems a bit out of place here.)
Often, I have been happy enough when Lear is offstage, tired of listening to his prattling and bellowing. But Lithgow’s absences are keenly felt here, and his ultimate demise brings a tear to the eye. That’s what I call a crowning achievement.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://www.publictheater.org/Tickets/Calendar/PlayDetailsCollection/FSITP/King-Lear/?SiteTheme=Shakespeare
Cast
Annette Bening, Jeremy Bobb, Steven Boyer, Jessica Collins, Glenn Fleshler, Jessica Hecht, Slate Holmgren, Christopher Innvar, Chukwudi Iwuji, John Lithgow, Clarke Peters, Dale Place, Jay O. Sanders, Eric Sheffer Stevens, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Andrew Burnap, Christopher Ghaffari, Ryan-James Hatanaka, Matt Helm, Dave Klasko, Phillip Shinn
Open/Close Dates
Opening 7/22/2014
Closing 8/17/2014
Box Office
212-539-8500
Theatre Info
Delacorte Theater
Central Park (81st St & CPW or 79th St & Fifth Av)
New York, NY
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