March 05, 2004

King Lear
By Frank Scheck

Bottom line: Not a "Lear" for the ages.

Vivian Beaumont Theater,
Lincoln Center, New York
Through April 18

Arriving so soon after their brilliantly theatrical distillation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," this Lincoln Center production of "King Lear" comes as a major disappointment. Starring Christopher Plummer as the vainglorious old king, this production, directed by Jonathan Miller and imported from Canada's Stratford Festival, is a pallid rendition that attempts to emphasize psychological realism over cosmic import, with highly mixed results.

Plummer's naturalistic performance in the title role will come as a surprise to anyone who has seen his masterfully hammy and entertaining interpretations of Iago and Macbeth, not to mention his solo turn as John Barrymore. The actor here emphasizes the fragility and despair afflicting Lear, to sometimes moving effect. But the portrait is perhaps too muted, with the actor inexplicably failing to fully convey the character's larger-than-life qualities. The result is that the play too often resembles a movie-of-the-week depicting the ravages of Alzheimer's on family dynamics.

Performed on a bare wooden stage lacking even a modicum of visual interest, the production, lacking pacing or any dramatic urgency, lethargically rambles along for 3 1/2 hours, with little of the proceedings having any emotional resonance. The actors, though proficient with the language, lack distinction in their characterizations, with even the normally riveting Brent Carver failing to impress as Edgar. Domini Blythe, Lucy Peacock and Claire Jullien, as the daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia, respectively, deliver shrill, one-note performances, with the first two sporting unfortunate hairstyles that make them resemble the wicked stepsisters in "Cinderella." The evening's best work comes from Barry MacGregor as an atypically aged Fool, and James Blendick as the loyal and victimized Gloucester.

"King Lear" is a notoriously difficult work to perform, with many commentators having expressed the view that it works far better on the page than the stage. Miller's attempt here to deprive the play of its magisterial qualities only reinforces its ungainliness.

KING LEAR
Presented by the Lincoln Center Theater
Credits:
Playwright: William Shakespeare
Director: Jonathan Miller
Set designer: Ralph Funicello
Costume designer: Claire Mitchell
Lighting designer: Robert Thomson
Composer: Berthold Carriere
Sound designer: Scott Anderson
Cast:
King Lear: Christopher Plummer
Goneril: Domini Blythe
Regan: Lucy Peacock
Cordelia: Claire Jullien
Albany: Ian Deakin
Cornwall: Stephen Russell
Kent: Benedict Campbell
Gloucester: James Blendick
Edgar: Brent Carver
Edmund: Geraint Wyn Davies
Fool: Barry MacGregor
Oswald: Brian Tree