REVIEW: King Lear (Shakespeare Theatre Company)
Preview: It’s been a long time since I’ve seen an actual Shakespeare production at STC. Before I saw the mediocre Jane Anger, the last thing I saw was Blindness in 2021, which was my first post-vax show. That was excellent, but my last show before that was…sheesh, I can’t even remember. It’s been years, even before 2020. So I was especially excited about the announcement that their next bard production would be King Lear starring Patrick Page, his first performance since his Tony-nominated role as Hades in the folky smash Hadestown on Broadway.
Acting: Lots of lovely DC theatre favorites in this cast! Craig Wallace (Earl of Gloucester), Shirine Babb (Earl of Kent), Michael Milligan (Fool) and Terrance Fleming (Burgundy) come to mind, alongside some STC debuts in Julian Elijah Martinez (Edmund), Rosa Gilmore (Goneril), and Stephanie Jean Lane (Regan). Punctuating the ensemble is the STC return of Patrick Page as the titular king. Page clearly takes some pointers from his acclaimed run as Hades, intertwining flowery renaissance prose with gravely, enrapturing power that only grows more unhinged as his character declines over the course of the show. He’s just so good in this mad king trope, and I really couldn’t picture anyone else in it while watching him. Craig Wallace has always been a favorite of mine in the local scene and this was yet another great entry in his long history of STC roles. My pick for a standout performance, however, was Martinez’s Edmund. Pure swagger on that stage as the scheming Gloucester bastard, and he had the audience eating out of his hand every time. Ultimately, I was disappointed by the performance of Lily Santiago as Cordelia; which, given the level of prowess on stage at any given moment, was not THAT bad as far as things went. To me, it just felt under-performed, even nervous at times. I’ve seen her do quite well in Baltimore theatre, though, so it’s not as if she can’t kick ass. I just wanted….more, maybe? Regardless, this was already extended twice prior to tonight’s opening, so I’m really excited for lots of people to see this talented group. 9/10
Production: Staging involves a lot of moving wall set pieces, which I love. A handful of well-picked furniture and other scene-setting materials — such as unique country flags and mid-century modern lamps — make for a familiar and immersive set. Subtle lighting alongside them creates different atmospheres and rooms, and detailed projections bring scenes from war triages to torrential storms to life (great efforts from Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew and Aaron Rhyne). Sound-wise, you’re treated with wistful violins during sadder moments, and buzzing helicopters buzzing from aisle to aisle during the war scenes. I found it a little loud at times, and one older audience member mentioned at intermission that they had to turn off their hearing aid because of it. The vast emptiness of looking over the Cliffs of Dover contrast with the hectic nature of a nation at war are just some of the contrasts you’ll see, and nothing felt underwhelming. Not every show has to be flashy and expensive-looking, nor does it have to be minimal and experimental. There’s a middle ground and this show pulls it off really well. 8/10
Book: I have a hard time judging whether I should even do a review of the plot itself. I mean, it’s Shakespeare, and this is one of his most popular works. So popular, in fact, that STC plastered the entire plot to the very end, even including a TL;DR, in the lobby. But the idea behind performing these works in this day and age is seldom about whether it’s a “good plot”—it’s about how timeless Billy the Bard’s pieces are. How characters from 500 years ago are so malleable and relatable to this day that you are afforded the creativity as a production house to re-contextualize things like setting, costumes, and music, and have it all work, despite everyone reading the beta release version of the English language. For my own TL;DR, here’s a haiku:
Aging king goes mad
Daughters plot against their dad
Gloucester* kid does bad
(If this theatre or animation thing doesn’t work out you’ll find me at Busboys. *Gloss-ter; it counts!)
The production stages the plot in a modern, imperialist war context. I go over the production elements in greater detail in the Production section of this review, but here I can say that it is a topical setting. STC draws clear influence from the ongoing Ukraine-Russia War, with similarities even historically: neighboring, ethnically similar (yet distinct culturally) forces clash over percieved interests by the aggressor that lie in the other territory. Sure, this lacks the irredentist rhetoric from the modern conflict, but a quick history lesson could inform that Britain and France have never been too friendly, especially in the portrayed era (the island does share a name origin with a French province, thanks to the Romans). It is relevant, and easy enough for us as the audience to see these connections, but odd to me given how France nor Britain are seen as “good guys” exactly. A Shakespearean tragedy is just that. Nobody’s really supposed to win — but perhaps that’s the point. 6/10
VisDev: Program design uses a high-contrast. partially obscured grayscale portrait of Page (shot by Patric Shaw); I think it does well to capture the ruggedness of King Lear as a character, intense yet hiding mentally behind the realities of age. Pre-show staging is an industrial aircraft hangar with plenty of flags and a fancy desk, as if it were on a military base, setting the tone of the show as militaristic right off the bat. Overall, great branding for what seems to be this season’s signature show. 7/10
Verdict: King Lear is another superb showing by the pre-eminent Bard authority of the region, combining solid acting and entertaining production design that doesn’t get old over its nearly three-hour runtime.
