REVIEW: King Lear

July 17, 2024

 

King Lear
Presented by Bell Shakespeare
Reviewed by Jemma Ryan

Bell Shakespeare’s King Lear takes a slick, minimalistic approach to a grand tragedy. While more forgiving theatregoers might embrace this creative decision as a means through which the play’s key concerns are condensed for an intimate theatre space, others would worry that this approach could lead to omission of valuable nuance. Unfortunately, if I had to choose, I would probably lean towards the latter opinion. 

As a student of classic literature, I was familiar with King Lear. However, within the first few minutes of the play, a concern became apparent to me — a concern that always plagues me when I view productions of Shakespearean plays. Is prior reading necessary to understanding the play? Must audiences do their homework before attending the theatre? 

 

 

While contemporary in its set, costume and casting choices, Bell Shakespare remains exceptionally loyal to the play’s original dialogue which is fast and witty, but may also sound convoluted to the untrained ear, due to archaic words and sentence structure. This is only exacerbated by the theatre-in-the-round setting. At any given time, half of the audience were unable to see the actors’ faces, which could often make dialogue difficult to discern, especially in moments where the music and sound effects obscured the actor’s voices. 

 

 

The play’s commitment to minimalism extends to its characters and costumes. A few actors in the ensemble play multiple characters each. For instance, Melissa Kahraman played both Lear’s daughter Cordelia and the Fool. Her two roles were distinguished by a significant costume change, with the Fool wearing bright red attire, in stark contrast with the minimalistic, well-tailored theatre blacks worn by the ensemble. Furthermore, the set design is limited to a bare stage with a black circle in the centre, representing the abyss or the pupil of an eye, which is symbolic of the play’s major concerns, such as darkness and sight. These examples of minimalism mean there is a focus on the action and not ‘trivial’ details, but the simplicity may also be a source of confusion to some theatregoers who do not have prior knowledge of the play. 

 

 

James Lugton as Gloucester, Tamara Lee Bailey as Goneril and Darius Williams as Edmund are three standouts in this production. These actors add energy and charisma to each scene and feel like some of the more fleshed-out characters in this production. It is also a treat to see Australian acting royalty, Robert Menzies, as the titular character. 

By the end of the play, with bodies strewn on stage, the tragic nature of King Lear is abundantly clear. While other scenes in the play feel rushed and confusing, there is finally a moment of stillness where audiences can finally breathe, visualise the extent of death and destruction, and truly have a moment of catharsis. 

 

 

Bell Shakespeare is one of Sydney's most prominent theatre companies. Despite their cutting-edge, contemporary (and sometimes controversial) productions, Peter Evans and the King Lear team show a depth of knowledge and dedication to staging this tragedy. I would recommend King Lear to anyone with an appreciation for classic texts…and almost 3 hours to spare. However, I do believe prior reading is necessary to fully understand and appreciate this play. 

 

King Lear is playing at The Neilson Nutshell until 20 July. Get your tickets HERE.

Production images by Brett Boardman