Shakespeare’s King Lear is one of the darkest of his plays. It explores a raft of treacheries involved with the human condition. The King (Michael Eustice) decides to retire from his responsibilities early, intending to divide his realm between his three daughters while retaining his high rank and prestige. In effect King Lear wants to have his cake and eat it too.
Think HBO’s Succession with the desire of the children for the top dog to retire once his unexpected announcement is made, but Shakespeare is vastly more tragic because said King is slipping into what was once called madness, would now be diagnosed as dementia. Shakespeare doesn’t stipulate any precise moment when this malady sets in, so it is arguable that his decision to retire may be part of it.
This production, directed by Brant Eustice, creates a world believably post-apocalyptic yet still hanging on to the archaic notion of royalty, and all the associated privileges that come with it. Eustice takes a little more license by including one character in the action from the start, who usually doesn’t appear until later; Lear’s Fool (Geoff Revell), a small yet significant detail which adds a fresh field for interpretation to his production.
The main cast of characters, mostly comprised of the Kings daughters and their spouses, wrangle treacherously with the required skulduggery to reap the most reward from their situation in a most opportunistic way. Scenes between two of the daughters, Goneril (Georgia Stockham) and Regan (Rebecca Kemp) are particularly chilling at times.
Shakespeare offers some humanitarian balance with one character, Kent (Sharon Malujlo), who takes on a disguise in order to protectively accompany the demented King as he roams the countryside. A parallel subplot concerns the power play between two brothers, Edgar (Robert Baulderstone), and his illegitimate half-brother Edmund (Sean Flierl) which demonstrates how unkind humans may become when there is power and wealth to gain.
The production lost an actor to illness, so the Director stepped in to play an important onstage part which must have been taxing for all, but it doesn’t distract. The greatest unnerving distraction is the fate of King Lear’s dominion, particularly that of his youngest daughter Cordelia (Rhoda Sylvester) in this tragic, dark tale.
King Lear
Until 25th of August, 2024
Little Theatre, Adelaide
