Review: "King Lear" on Broadway

Shakespeare plays are always challenging to consume -- they are both thrilling for their gorgeous language and wonderful characters, and sometimes frustrating because the plots can be hard to follow. Not for nothing you watch or read these plays and say to yourself, "This is amazing! I have no idea what's going on!"

This is certainly true for Shakespeare's King Lear.

Unlike the history plays, King Lear is based on a mythical pre-Roman King named Leir i.e. it's basically fiction. The plot revolves around an aging King Lear deciding to divide his kingdom amongst this three daughters -- Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia. He demands that they tell him how much they love him and, based on their answers, he will give them what he thinks they deserve of his kingdom. Goneril and Regan go overboard in telling the old man how much they love him but Cordelia says she cannot describe her love to him in mere words. Enraged, the King banishes her from the kingdom and divides the kingdom amongst her sisters. 

Political intrigue ensues. Goneril and Regan's husbands scheme to oust Lear from the throne, other Dukes get in on the act, the king descends into madness accompanied only by his Fool, there is a French invasion and war, there's eye-gouging, suicide, lots of death and betrayal, all sorts of mean nasty stuff -- honestly, the plot is so exhausting you reach the "I have no idea what's going on!" stage pretty soon. Safe to say, this play is as complete a tragedy as Shakespeare ever wrote. 

King Lear is one of his most challenging plays -- the complicated plot, the numerous characters, as well as its length make it a slog (with intermission, it lasts 3 1/2 hours). That's why, if a production is going to be mounted of this, it needs to be first rate.

The version currently in previews on Broadway mostly is first rate -- you don't get more first-rater than Glenda Jackson playing Lear. She is such a volcanic force, such a massive presences on stage that you almost wish King Lear was a one man (or one woman) show. Her near-equal is Ruth Wilson who alternates as Cordelia and the Fool. Wilson was great on that show The Affair but, in this play, you see that she's an actress of tremendous range. Also good is Pedro Pascal as a scheming Duke -- he's like the character he played on Game of Thrones, a sort of noble playboy, but he has better lines. Finally, Elizabeth Marvel from Homeland plays one of the daughters and, while she's good, it's clear that she's not quite 100% doing Shakespeare. 

This production has, in my opinion, two main weaknesses:

1) The supporting cast, many of whom are making their Broadway debuts, is not that strong. Many of the actors almost seem like they're in another play, you get the sense that they're consciously underplaying their parts, and this is not a play that rewards underplaying. 

2) The production itself is a bit off. Instead making it historical, the set and costumes make it appear that this play is not taking place in pre-Roman Britain or even Shakespearean Britain but in some kind of neo-Fascist future. The set is a garish tinted gold and looks like something between a Scientology Center or Trump Tower. The costumes look like something that might be worn by characters in either The Hunger Games movies or aliens from episodes of Star Trek. I'm sure that the intention is to make the production look as nightmarish as the plot (like the times we're living in) but it just seemed like a distraction. 

Still, if you love Shakespeare and Glenda Jackson, you should go see this production of King Lear -- it's a once in a lifetime experience to see a great actor and cast in one of the great plays.