Lear

Reviewed by Reza Vojdani
Theatricum Botanicum
Through Sept. 28

Photo by Ian Flanders

Theatricum Botanicum’s production Lear seeks to strike a balance in tone between remaining true to Shakespeare’s original King Lear while also mixing in a contemporary twist on gender, and the implications that come with it. The aging King of Britain, divides his holdings between his three daughters and end up banishing the one who fails to flatter him to his liking. And so he inadvertently triggers a power struggle between the other two. In Mellora Marshall and Willow Geer’s staging, Shakespeare’s text remains largely intact while the genders for many main characters have been inverted.

The choice to make Lear (Ellen Geer) a Queen, Lear’s daughters into sons, and the Earl of Gloucester’s (Alan Blumenfield) sons into daughters is not unreasonable and suits the plot arguably well. The combination of Shakespeare’s timeless words and the, on the whole, strong acting keep the action of the play clear, even though the show’s first half feels weighted down by the exposition.

Though the cast does a good job characterizing the seeming absolute power of the Queen’s rulings, the repercussions of the initial decisions that should reverberate throughout the play are lacking – Lear’s banishment of her youngest son Cordelian (Dane Oliver) and of the Earl of Kent (Gerald C. Rivers). Characters say rather than show how shocking the Queen’s actions were. Strong performances in the more climactic moments however keep us strongly engaged.

In fact, the first half of the show feels almost like a prelude to the second; the production’s energetic turning point comes from Eden’s (Willow Geer) entrance under the guise of Mad Tom. The immediate intensity and exuberance Willow Geer brings to the portrayal enlivens the whole production, while Ellen Geer’s Lear raises her own intensity to match. It is at this point that we truly start to see and feel Lear’s descent into anger, grief, and madness. Up until this point, Lear maintains a courtly composure, even in moments of rage.

Similarly, the staging choices at certain points diminish some potentially powerful moments. Though Theatricum Botanicum’s outdoor playing space provides a multitude of options to have the audience either be encompassed by the action or separated from it, some moments are diminished by moving the action away from center stage. In particular, one of Lear’s pivotal speeches early in the second half takes place almost directly behind the audience, with many of the audience members notably straining to see and hear.

On the whole however, this is a serviceable performance of one of Shakespeare’s most difficult works. The payoff seeing both Lear and Eden descend into their respective bouts of madness (feigned or otherwise), as well as the climactic confrontation between Lear’s two traitorous sons, plus the death of Cordelian, allow the production to end on a strong note. It may not leave you as emotionally devastated as one might expect from a Shakespearian tragedy, but it will leave you with some lingering questions about the intersections of power and gender, to reflect upon.

Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga; in rep; through Sept. 28. (310) 455-3723, www.theatricum.com.