King Lear Presented by Shakespeare Theatre Company at the Michael R. Klein Theatre, Washington, DC (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: King Lear Presented by Shakespeare Theatre Company at the Michael R. Klein Theatre, Washington, DC Cecelia Richardson King Lear Presented by Shakespeare Theatre Company at the Michael R. Klein Theatre, Washington, DC. 23 February–16 April 2023. Directed by Simon Godwin. Set design by Daniel Soule. Lighting design by Jeanette Yew. Costume design by Emily Rebholz. Sound design by Christopher Shutt. Music composed by Michael Bruce. Choreography by Jonathan Goddard. Fight choreography by Robb Hunter. With Shirine Babb (Kent), Lily Santiago (Cordelia), Rosa Gilmore (Goneril), Matthew J. Harris (Edgar), Stephanie Jean Lane (Regan), Julian Elijah Martinez (Edmund), Patrick Page (King Lear), Craig Wallace (Gloucester), Michael Milligan (Fool), and others. “I don’t know anything about Lear,” the woman next to me confessed as she shifted to let me take my seat, “I just really like Patrick Page in Hadestown.” Shakespeare Theatre Company’s King Lear seemed well aware of the anticipation surrounding its lead actor: the production used its first few minutes to create a sense of expectant celebrity worship that aligned Lear’s onstage court with the audience’s excitement to see Patrick Page in the titular role. Regan (Stephanie Jean Lane) and Goneril (Rosa Gilmore) fussed over their husband’s jackets, straightening ties and military medals, while Edmund (Julian Elijah Martinez) stood at attention and Gloucester (Craig Wallace) awkwardly joked with Kent (Shirine Babb). The court, like the audience, seemed defined by a sense of absence, stuck in a holding pattern until the cinematic entrance of Page’s king. Dramatically backlit by airplane landing lights, Lear emerged as the epitome of a confidently masculine leader, ruggedly handsome in aviator sunglasses and a fur-lined leather jacket. This sense of a world in vacuum, bereft without the force [End Page 165] of Lear’s larger-than-life persona, continued throughout the production as Lear’s point of view was privileged over that of any other character onstage. This privileging of Lear’s “storyline” occasionally came at the expense of nuance in a production that clearly defined the “good” and “bad” guys for the audience, but it also served to create a cutthroat world of patriarchal social hierarchy, strictly enforced expected behaviors, and chillingly efficient cruelty. Click for larger view View full resolution Cordelia (Lily Santiago), Goneril (Rosa Gilmore), and Regan (Stephanie Jean Lane) face off against their father in King Lear, dir. Simon Godwin. Shakespeare Theatre Company, 2023. Photo by DJ Corey Photography, courtesy of Shakespeare Theatre Company. Against set designer Daniel Soule’s backdrop of grey metallic walls, a podium and microphone established Lear’s division of his kingdom as a high-profile publicity stunt. Regan and Goneril proclaimed their love out to the audience rather than towards their father, as if addressing an unseen camera. Emily Rebholz’s costume design worked with the set to establish the feeling of a modern press conference: Gloucester appeared as a highly decorated general, Kent in a professional pantsuit, and Edmund in fatigues as an overlooked military aide (he was dismissively handed Lear’s jacket upon the king’s arrival). This was a carefully presentational world, with strictly codified expectations of behavior. Even Lear’s dramatic entrance felt intentionally calculated to impress. [End Page 166] In the context of this carefully choreographed public appearance, Cordelia’s refusal to play her father’s game was an unexpected road bump that derailed the whole country. Lily Santiago played Cordelia with a backbone, planting her feet to speak her “nothing” with a strong, clear voice and a hint of a smile, unafraid to go “off-script” as she defied her father’s expectations. Her smiling persistence in offering “nothing” led Lear to a quick, almost businesslike switch: he ordered her banishment without raising his voice, but his still and seated intensity spoke volumes. Page’s voice did much of this work for him, characterizing the aging king as a quick-thinking businessman who was not used to repeating himself. This Lear was brisk and to the point, and Page’s speedy delivery, coupled with his authoritative deep voice, created a king who did not slow down for the people around him. As he handed Goneril’s share of the country over, Goneril...