‘King Lear’ – Written by William Shakespeare; Directed by Doug Lockwood. Scenic Design by Jon Savage; Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg; Costume Design by Jesicca Pribble; Sound Design by David Reiffel. Presented by Actors’ Shakespeare Project at Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet St, Chelsea, MA through October 27, 2019.
by Julie-Anne Whitney
Actors’ Shakespeare Project opens their 16th Season with a mystifying “near-future” production of King Lear at the Chelsea Theatre Works. The intimate black box theater in downtown Chelsea was the perfect space to stage this dark, ominous Shakespearean tragedy.
The cast is boldly led by the accomplished Robert Walsh (King Lear), with notable stand out Louis Reyes McWilliams, who had the formidable task of playing both Edmund (the bastard son of Gloucester) and his brother Edgar (the legitimate son of Gloucester). McWilliams performed each of these contrasting, demanding roles with care and precision – something his fellow ensemble members handled with varying degrees of success.
Director Doug Lockwood’s decision to cast seven actors to play more than fifteen different roles was an admirable leap of faith, but despite his efforts to avoid a “chaotic ‘trunk play’ where costume pieces and actors are flying around the space,” the lack of props or physical adornments to distinguish one character from the next led to some confusion of which character was speaking and whom they were addressing.
Jessica Pribble’s modest costume design had the actors moving around the space barefoot (the King included) and dressed in plain, unembellished, lightly colored linens as if to say ‘individuality is not encouraged here’ – or, simply put, everyone wears a slightly varied version of what the King wears. Jeff Adelberg’s expressive lighting design created an atmosphere of mystery and intrigue, skillfully enhancing Jon Savage’s set design which suggested a world in disarray and disrepair. Complete with ripped and wrinkled sheets of hanging plastic, and a hoard of aged, useless devices such as dial radios and televisions, a clunky overhead projector, a dusty record player, and an untuned piano – this “palace” was surely destined for destruction.
Considering the fact that King Lear was first performed in 1606, the play remains frighteningly relevant in an age when we know all too well the visage of men who seek undeserved praise and thrive off of adulation; men whose inflated egos and baffling selfishness eventually lead to their own downfall. As Gloucester astutely declares, “’Tis the times’ plague, when madmen lead the blind” – a warning, or, perhaps, a prediction – for present and future strife.
For tickets and information, go to: www.actorsshakespeareproject.org
