Bard’s Lear beguiles
by Christopher Key
Shakespeare purists rejoice!
Bard on the Beach brings you a very straightforward and uncut version of
King Lear on the BMO Mainstage at
Vancouver’s lovely Vanier Park. It’s a
stunning contrast to the intricacy of The
Comedy of Errors, with which it runs in repertory. There are very few bells and whistles,
although there are appropriate trumpet fanfares.
This is a collaboration with Theatre Calgary and is directed
by Dennis Garnham, their Artistic Director.
Albertans are known for their no-nonsense approach to life on the
prairie and that may have contributed to the sparse atmosphere of this
production.
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| Scott Bellis is The Fool and Benedict Campbell is King Lear. Photo credit - David Blue |
Benedict Campbell delivers a towering, nuanced performance
as the title character. He captures Lear’s
departure from reality so convincingly that he takes the audience right along
with him. Campbell’s vast list of
credits includes The Stratford Festival, where he performed Lear in the Big Apple.
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| Jennifer lines as Regan and Colleen Wheeler as Goneril. Photo credit - David Blue |
As any parent understands, insanity is hereditary. You get it from your children and Lear’s daughters demonstrate why. Bard favorites Colleen Wheeler and Jennifer
Lines play Goneril and Regan, respectively, with an attitude that has the men
scraping and groveling.
Younger sister Cordelia is equally formidable, but in a
somewhat less confrontational manner.
Bard newcomer Andrea Rankin radiates purity and innocence in the role. She’s another Albertan and reinforces that
honesty in her portrayal.
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| David Marr as Gloucester and Michael Blake as Edmund. Photo credit - David Blue |
If you think Lear has problems with his kids, just check out
his loyal supporter, the Earl of Gloucester.
Bard vet David Marr plays the role with power and passion. Watch for some very nifty (if gory) special
effects when the Duke of Cornwall performs some ophthalmic surgery on
Gloucester.
Gloucester's got two sons, one legit and one not so much. Nathan Schmidt plays the good and loyal son whose
mother Gloucester married. He’s terrific
as Edmund, but really rocks the place when disguised as Poor Tom. Michael Blake is a thoroughgoing, and
absolutely delightful, bastard as the scheming Edgar.
Played properly, any of Shakespeare’s fools can steal the
show. Scott Bellis does it here with a
look reminiscent of Beetlejuice and gets to show off his instrumental chops, as
well.
Goneril and Regan’s beleaguered husbands are played by
Declan O’Reilly and Robert Klein. They
eventually grow a pair (or two pair, in this case), but it’s too little too
late. Bard regulars Craig Erickson,
Chirag Naik, Ian Butcher and Anousha Alamian round out the cast.
The starkly simple set was designed by Pam Johnson and that
background means Costumer Deitra Kailyn gets to show off. Gerald King designed the moody lighting and
Dave Pierce composed original music.
Fight scenes at Bard are always fun to watch and often
scarily realistic. Haysam Kadri and Karl
Sine create sensational swordplay.
King Lear plays in
repertory with The Comedy of Errors on
Bard’s main stage. The British Columbia
festival sells out upward of 95 percent of its season, so the wise fool will
purchase early by calling toll-free 1-877-739-0559 or online at the Bardsite. While you’re there, check out the
other events highlighting the Bard season, including fireworks, barbecue, wine
and opera.
You probably won’t need that blanket this year.
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