King Lear

The National Theatre’s presentation of King Lear presented the King’s Love Test within a modern setting, where the divide of the kingdom and the events which follow it are exceptional.

The exploration of unique staging kicked off the play, with the fool facing the audience throughout the test, which itself suffered a mass of waves in emotion; from Lear’s power fuelled beginning, through to the outlandish drop into rage, every step found itself swelling with dramatics.

As the play continued the production stayed true to the aspects of Shakespeare’s play which had always made it great. From humour, to suspense, horror through to sorrow. Beale’s performance of the mad king excellently encapsulates the pure power the king thinks himself drenched with in the beginning. Onwards into the play he maintained the admirable presentation with acting that twitched with tiny details that only grew Lear into a character the audience could only attach to, if sorrowfully.

With a setting in a type of modern day royalty, more suited to military than monarchy, the story stays committed to Shakespeare’s original outline. From the famous speeches of love, through to Edgars ending lines, the story is shown heavily but truthfully, lending to a deep understanding of the complex turning of events as Edmund and the two sisters try to weave the world around their fingers.  

Overall, the play built a solid foundation on top of which it built an excellent portrayal; one that was understandable, fluid and, at times, mind-consuming. It successfully proved King Lear to be one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays.