Ahunim Abebe and Colin Friels in Belvoir Street Theatre’s production of King Lear. Photo by Brett Boardman
I ventured into this play with trepidation about the three hours and fifteen minutes and a two interval long production. And I was right it was initially an endurance test.
I’ve never been a huge fan of Shakespeare’s comedies. The tragedies of Macbeth, Hamlet and Lear have always resonated more clearly with me.
By the end of this performance I had been taken on a cathartic journey of a father and his daughters. Yes, Lear holds lots of more complex themes and this production has its flaws. But the core journey is about power, love and treachery and its consequences.
Shakespeare’s plays have endured because their truth are always contingent on the flaws of his characters. In its essence Lear wields his power with vanity entitled by his role as King and as the patriarchal father of three daughters.
The essential question is does Lear become wiser with this power as he has aged or does his fatal flaw determine the loss of his young daughter and his decline into madness? This is revealed as his power and dominion diminish.
The central theme of the ageing Lear’s decisions do not have him ageing with wisdom but a rapid descent into madness. With this reckoning he declares ‘I am more sinned against than sinning’.
There are some weaknesses in this production. But the question then has to be how do you reproduce two and half hours of Shakespeare in a modern contemporary setting in 2025? And if you’re going to do it, how are you going to make it effectively reach its audience?
In Part 3 of this production that question is answered in the final scene when Lear confronts the heartbreaking truth about his much loved younger daughter Cordelia and the treachery of his older daughters Goneril and Regan.
The subplots and rivalries are executed with style and creativity.
Structurally for the stage the play is split into three parts with two fifteen minute intervals.
The first part whilst true to the original Shakespearian text didn’t hold the rhythm that it potentially needed to sustain its stage presence. Some of that can be attributed to the length of the play and complex scenarios and dialogue. The intent was there but the unfolding evolution of this play is difficult to stage.
Part two was an intense cacophony of the dramatic storm scenes, strobe lighting and blood.
The strobe lighting and violent and bloody scene with Gloucester was very confronting and striking in its theatricality. For the audience situated close to the action of that scene it was one of the most violent scenes in the production. And with the plucking of the eyes the audience audibly gasped with shock. After the second interval some audience members had visibly not returned to the performance.
In truth while these scenes were hard to watch this part of the play had the necessary intensity required for what happens next.
In Part three the pathos and emotional desperation and grief of a father for his most loved daughter was heartbreaking and the ensemble cast found the rhythm required to step through the violence and the treachery of this well-known Shakespearean tragedy to entail the emotional tenure required for the end of Lear’s journey.
Colin Friels’ who plays King Lear has been a much loved actor on stage and screen in this country for decades and as Eamon Flack the director says ‘Colin’s been building to this role for years’. The fortitude and robustness with which his portrayal of Lear evolves is just outstanding. Friels’ command and development of the role is a work of art.
Friels’ cements and honours his theatre legacy in this iconic role in this production.
Peter Carroll who is a stalwart of Australian theatre as the Fool was hilariously compelling. His cameo of the Fool accompanied by a toy electric piano was brilliant theatre.
And Alison Whyte as Gloucester was the triangle that made up the elders of this incredibly difficult and epic piece of work.
The next generation of actors in this ensemble can only benefit from the experience and professionalism of treading the boards alongside the calibre of actors such as Friels, Caroll and Whyte. They developed the evolution of their characters in this epic marathon with sensitivity and insight.
In Part two the direction of Goneril played by Charlotte Friels and Regan played by Jana Zvedeniuk behind the mainstage smoking scene was starting to evolve the vindictiveness and treachery of the two sisters. In Part three Goneril and Regan found the edge and brittleness their brutal and evil characters require.
Cordelia played by Ahunim Abebe was always centred, truthful and strong in her stage presence.
In true ensemble form their husbands and lovers were also extraordinary in their evolution into the final cast scenes.
The finale of this production was heartbreaking, sad and profound all in one breath.
The most interesting, illuminating and unusual aspect of this production was how the musical score worked with the rhythm and tempo of the dialogue. With the use of vocals, a drum and electric guitar, the live band of musicians accompaniment to onstage actors was effective and dramatic and gave a film like intensity to this stage production.
The set (Bob Cousins) was a functioning element of the design concept of Lear’s world. And the function of its form did what it was meant to do. Serve the narrative of the productions vision and the original text. It was sparse and reflective of Lear’s sphere of control.
The lighting (Morgan Moroney) and sound (Steve Francis) then became elements of the landscape.
The costumes (James Stibilj) were contemporary and functional so as not to draw away from that landscape as a whole but to provide individual identities to each character.
The audience reviews on this show will be mixed. Do you love Shakespeare? Do you prefer the tragedies? Are you a fan of Colin Friel’s work?
While aspects of the show had limitations its central theme and premise are strong.
Belvoir Street has always been one of the leaders in new and innovative productions in Sydney. The team of talent in this organisation produces original concepts in a small theatre with solid production values.
Go see this show. Friels’ Lear will stand the test of time. Be aware of the bloody violence inherent in the text and look forward to the cathartic experience that is its finale. Its conclusion was outstanding.
And don’t leave the theatre in Part two! The production is bloody, violent and intense but the witnessing of the mastery of these extraordinary thespians far outweighs the moments of discomfort. Friels, Carrroll, Whyte and the new and emerging actors of this next generation provide a masterclass in ensemble theatre.
A bloody violent ultimately heartbreaking recreation of a masterpiece.
THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE LIFE AND DEATH OF KING LEAR & HIS THREE DAUGHTERS BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE is playing at Belvoir Street Theatre till 4 JAN 26.
DURATION3 HOURS 15MIN TIME INCLUDES 2 INTERVALS
King Lear includes strobe lighting. There are moments of violence, the use of significant stage blood and scenes that depict injury in a graphic way.
