King Lear
Shakespeare & Company
by William Shakespeare, directed by Nicole Ricciardi
“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth”
Shakespeare wasn’t kidding when he wrote “King Lear.” There was a plague going on; people weren’t in the mood for light amusements. They needed something to confront the fears of the day and still allow good to triumph. Shakespeare & Company isn’t kidding, either.
They are presenting the play as both their season opener and the first play in their new theater, The New Spruce Theatre, a 552-seat, open-air arena stage. They are introducing a new company member in the title role and stepping up the careers of some younger members with some leading roles. It makes for exciting drama all the way around.
Christopher Lloyd steps into the title role, joining the company leading men Nigel Gore as the Earl of Kent, Jonathan Epstein as the Earl of Gloucester, and Allyn Burrows as The Fool. This is a quartet that is simply hard to beat. Each has his moment or scene in which to shine, along with Ryan Winkles as the Duke of Cornwall, and Bryce Michael Wood and Nome SiDone as the sons of Gloucester. Each actor plays his role with style and without any contemporary flourish.
Three wonderful women take on the central roles of King Lear’s daughters. Jennie M. Jadow is a lovely Regan; Jasmine Cheri Rush plays the loyal Cordelia; MaConnia Chesser shines as the opportunistic Goneril.
Chesser, in particular, makes an impact with her role, one that should guarantee her stronger roles in future seasons. The entire cast does well under Nicole Ricciardi’s perfect direction.
Jim Youngerman delivers a group of set pieces that complement the needs of the play; Govane Lohbauer’s costumes allow each character to make a memory for the audience; and sound designer Amy Altadonna gives us great storm effects.
In fact, I can’t find anything in this production to criticize. Lloyd’s Lear goes slowly mad, and even ages visibly, under the severe mental strain the character endures. The sisters turn into ideal rivals in every way possible, and the Fool sings well and amuses Lear, in spite of the King’s antipathy. He doesn’t grow as close to Lear as in other productions I’ve seen, but that felt okay, as well.
It’s a cut version of the play, but still felt long, especially towards the end, but there is so much happening that it just naturally seems to be longer than the 2 hours and 50 minutes the program announces. (The play moved into the Packer Playhouse for the second half due to bad weather.) Seeing this “King Lear” would be a rewarding experience, folks. Try to see it.
“King Lear” plays through August 28 at Shakespeare & Company’s New Spruce Theatre, located at 70 Kemble Street in Lenox, Massachusetts. For information and tickets, click here.
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July 10, 2021 at 08:57PM
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THEATER REVIEW: Shakespeare & Company's 'King Lear' - theberkshireedge.com
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