There is something healing about seeing outdoor Shakespeare. The sounds and sights of trees
swaying, birds calling, and sun setting only heighten the sensory experience of the verse.
There is also the pre-show ritual of picnicking before hiking alongside fellow language lovers to
the On the Hill Theater at American Players Theatre, which makes one feel part of the human
continuum that started when Elizabethans gathered on route to The Globe to eat, drink and
bear-bait.
I couldn’t wait to see APT’s “King Lear” because with lines like “Blow winds, crack your cheeks,”
it is a play that begs to be staged outdoors.
It’s exploration of the chaos and suffering caused by a foolish and tyrannical ruler, however, felt
like a portentous topic to consider in the weeks leading up to a Presidential election.
Mercifully, American Players Theatre’s production offers both food for thought and a welcome
escape from the cares of the present day.
Director Tim Ocel leads his skillful actors through a judicious and cerebral approach to Lear that
refrains from overtly signaling which character’s motives are right or wrong. The effortlessly
performed verse and excitement of following the action-packed play held my interest completely.
Brian Mani makes a virile and Kingly Lear. His resonant voice, silver mane and magnetic gaze
reminded me of a younger, more athletically built Donald Sutherland.
From the top of the play there is momentous action. Lear commands an impromptu court
performance from his daughters to determine Who Gets What Share of the Kingdom. It’s hard to
understand why Lear does this but Shakespeare is less interested in why than in what happens
next.
Lear’s older daughters are hip to the court’s politics and ostentatiously proclaim their devotion.
Goneril (a resplendent presence and cutting performance by Nancy Rodríguez), is married to
the honorable Duke of Albany (Chiké Johnson exudes powerful integrity). Regan (a cold-
blooded and two-faced portrayal by Jessica Ko) is married to the sadistic Duke of Cornwall, (in a
sexy and hot-tempered turn by Ronald Román Meléndez).
Youngest daughter Cordelia (simultaneously wide-eyed and steely as played by Samantha
Newcomb) refuses to flatter Lear with speeches. She states simply that she loves him no more,
no less than is appropriate for their relationship.
Lear hears Cordelia’s response as the ultimate insult to his authority, and his retribution is cruel
and swift. He divides her inheritance between her sisters, retracts her dowry and disowns her.
What motivates Lear’s transactional approach to familial love is not explained but it is certainly a
behavior one recognizes in certain high-profile figures of the present day. But whatever the
cause of Lear’s psychological being, his flawed formula for succession soon rains down
consequences for him and his Kingdom.
He isolates himself further by banishing his advisor Kent (a formidably protective La Shawn
Banks) who fails to goad Lear into retracting his punishment of Cordelia.
Lear’s shock and anger grow as Goneril and Regan reveal his impotence and irrelevance after
his power and wealth have been passed to his heirs.
The companion to Lear’s downfall is The Fool, (vulnerable, playful, and sweet of voice as played
by Josh Krause). Like Kent, he foresaw Goneril’s and Regan’s betrayal, leading to his wistful
line, “Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.”
Ocel’s program notes include a quote from theater director Peter Brook, who says rather than
moralizing, the play is “a vast, complex, coherent poem designed to study the power and the
emptiness of nothing – the positive and negative aspects latent in the zero.”
The power of zero is personified by Edmund (in a swaggering and sinister performance by
Rasell Holt). The bastard son of the Earl of Gloucester, he has nothing to gain in playing by the
rules, so logically he seeks to manipulate those with something to lose, chiefly his brother Edgar
(in a disarming performance by Nathan Barlow), the heir to their father Gloucester.
As Gloucester, James DaVita excels at delivering fresh and surprising line readings. He is a
worthy counterpoint to Lear as another father who lacks the wisdom to see his children for who
they truly are, and has the most violent, darkly comic, and indelible scenes in the play.
I had a few small quibbles. Holly Payne’s eclectic costumes are a nod to the Edwardian era
while also seeming timeless. Goneril and Regan’s dresses and hats are delicious and Lear and
Edgar’s transformations from wealth to beggar are highly effective. However, I found Edgar’s
prep school clothing confusing because it made him appear far younger than Edmund who is
one year his junior.
Oswald the servant served as a whipping post for the dysfunctional royals. I thought it was a
missed opportunity to play him as a crafty opportunist, who like Edmund, is calculating his
allegiances in response to transition in power.
The stage combat is a bit pint-sized. Edmund duels with and tries to halt Cordelia’s execution
with a small dagger instead of a sword. Likewise, brother Edgar fights off Edmund with a
wooden hand mallet.
But these are trivial complaints considering the clarity of storytelling and masterful
performances.
As the furious pace of action ebbs, and the bodies of the poisoned, stabbed, hung and
heartbroken pile up, Edgar expresses the gravity and numbness of the next generation, forced
to face the ruination left by the previous generation.
“We that are young
“Shall never see so much nor live so long.”
Despite the 3-hour run time including one 20-minute intermission – I couldn’t help but wish for a
slightly longer play that included a note of hope and healing at the end.
But after a production that eschews moralizing, there was the consolation of the beautiful
surroundings. And as for hope – it is incumbent on each of us individually to use our wise
judgement to choose a leader that won’t leave the next generation in ruins.
“King Lear” runs through Sept. 28 on The Hill Theatre at American Players Theatre, 5950 Golf
Course Road, Spring Green, Wisconsin. For tickets and more information visit
For more reviews go to https://www.theatreinchicago.com