The moment I found out Sir Ian McKellen was coming, I knew I had to see him. I really liked the thespian for his roles in reel life (Gandalf in LOTR and Magneto in X-men) and he seem like an awful nice guy in real life. Also, it so happened that one of the plays he would be acting in was King Lear, which was one of the books I had to read in junior college. I was so psyched up for the event, I finished reading the book in less than 3 hours and even dutifully researched some of the textual meanings. I mean I've NEVER been so zealous back when I was supposed to be studying Lear because Shakespeare was like all together another language and quite hard to grasp. It was fun though and I would certainly prefer any of the Bard's work than 20th century novels (Joseph Andrews...shudders).
As Jo had made a booking few days after the dates of the play were confirmed, we managed to get seats along the third circle balcony. Our position though was rather uncomfortable as we had to lean towards the railing to get a good view of the stage, but the whole experience was optimized because we had binoculars!! With them, we could see the expressions on the actors' faces and more importantly, I had a close-up view of McKellen. So I was really happy about that. I have attended musical performances at the esplanade theatre before but boy this was the first time I've seen it so packed. Most people in the sold out crowd were definately there to watch Mckellen in the flesh but I've no doubt that the popular Shakespeare play and the solid reputation of the Royal Shakespeare Company who had collaborated with The Singapore Repertory Theatre and the Esplanade to bring the play to our shores were intrinsic influences as well.
A synopsis of the story goes like this. Lear is a powerful but self-absorbed king who wants to abdicate the throne and divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters. He tries to assess how much each daughter should be rewarded by asking each of them to profess their love for him. The two elder evil daughters Goneril and Regan pepper their speeches with fulsome rhetoric but the youngest Cordelia, who truely loves her father, refuses to take part in any of the nonsense. In a moment of folly that changes everything, Cordelia is married off to the King of France without recieving anything. Lear's loyal servant Kent is banished while trying to intercede. The evil daughters achieve their evil intentions and begin to turn against their father. Lear goes mad after realizing their betrayal and his mistake but it is during this tumultuous journey that he regains his senses. There is another sub-plot involving the Earl of Gloucester, who also serves the king, being betrayed by his illegitimate son Edmond while turning away his real son Edgar, who remains faithful to him throughout.
King Lear is known as a tragedy because even though the bad recieves their rightful punishment in the end, the good does not live out a happy ending. I read that some of Shakespeare's early audiences didn't like the sad ending so they actually changed it to a happy one but I do think it is a realistic allusion to reality. Evil is constantly lurking in men's hearts while the good doesn't always have good things happen to them.
Anyway, trying to absorb and decipher the Shakespearean text is one matter but being able to see the play brought to life by a well-trained cast makes understanding the story easier. Mckellen has recieved garlands of praise for his portrayal of the titular character and indeed he did not disappoint. His wealth of experience in acting and theatre showed through in scenes where he had to convey strong emotions as to allow the audience to relate to the character. Ian's Lear was naturally funny, furious and demanding at times and helpless and desolate when he was abandoned. His emotional soliloquies were particularly impressive because he managed to inject the right amount of feelings without overacting. The much talked about nude scene didn't happened due to our country's censorship barriers but well, Ian's commanding performance of a king stripped down to his humility and forced to face the bare reality was metaphoric enough. Quite obviously, he was comfortable in the shoes of Lear and pretty damn convincing.
But what is a play without a good supporting cast? Monica Dolan stole some of the thunder as a conniving, slightly psychotic and wine-loving Regan. Frances Barber's Goneril on the other hand was believable albeit a tad too stiff. The weakest link was probably Cordelia who was played by young actress Romolo Garai, whom I recognized as the hot dancer in Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights. She makes a good Cordelia with her ethereal and innocent beauty but lacks the acting skills and good chemistry with her father. Mckellen saves the relationship by being humble and sincere in seeking forgiveness from his wronged daughter. His howling at the last scene due to Cordelia's death was a haunting display of grief which echoed throughout the theatre and ate into the hearts of the audience. Philip Winchester with his winning good looks and candid confessions of deviance made his villain Edmond alot less repulsive and in fact decievingly charming. Just so you know, both married sisters Goneril and Regan falls in love with Edmond and later fights for his affection.
I love the endearing moments which Lear shares on stage with his loyal companion The Fool (Sylvester McCoy). From the time they are dressed in courtly flamboyant clothes to the time when they are soaked in the pouring thunderstorm in their barest and plainest of clothes, the bond between them was well-established. Just on a side note, with our binoculars, we could actually see a slight drizzle but oddly, the stage was not wet. The Fool is essentially the conscience of the King as his comic and witty speeches provides incisive perspective to the latter's misdirections.
Director Trevor Nunn added an unexpected scene with the Fool being hanged by the traitors' henchmen which was not in the text (though his premature death was hinted at) and the whole feeling I get is that he wanted to make everything as clear as possible. William Gaunt (Earl of Gloucester), Jonathan Hyde (Kent) and Ben Meyjes (Edgar) round off the rest of the main cast.
The most amazing thing about the whole experience was the actor and actresses' ability to master and remember every single line! I mean I'm not expecting them to read from cue cards but hearing them utter Shakespeare lines like the ones below was incredible.
"A man may see how this world goes with no eyes. Look with thine ears: see how yond justice rails upon yond simple thief. Hark, in thine ear: change places; and, handy-dandy, which is the justice, which is the thief?" (Act 4 Scene 6)
So with the outstanding acting and everything else included, a rousing standing ovation wasn't all that surprising. They deserve it, from the sound engineers, set designer, organizers and of course, an unconscious tribute to the man who gave us the play.
