1st Live Play Response
The Fern theatre’s all female production of the play, Lear, was highly engaging. The space in which it was performed was a small and intimate, outdoors theatre. It was awesome to be so close to the action. Because everyone was so close, the actors would stare into your eyes when they were addressing the audience, making you feel like you were involved in the play. The acting in the play was captivating. Edgar and Lear’s descent into madness was truly convincing. Edgar’s eyes sparkled with madness as she crawled, muttering, across the stage. Lear became increasingly frantic and delirious as the play progressed, smiling madly at non-existent beings and tearing at her hair.
I really enjoyed the overall design of the show. The play, King Lear, was based on stories about the semi-legendary King Lear of the ancient Celtic people, the Britons. The costume, set, and sound designers fully embraced the Celtic origins of the play. The actors were clad in pants and belted tunics and their bodies and faces were painted with Celtic designs. The stage was rustic. It was wooden with nothing but a throne of entwined branches to decorate it. The fact that the stage was outside, surrounded by trees and large leafed bushes, added to the rustic feel as well. There was no soundtrack except for at the beginning and the end. The cast sang a beautiful song about the elements and the tree of life, accompanied by nothing but a drum. In the second half of the play, a storm stuck. The sounds of the raging storm were created with a thunder sheet and collection of shakers. The effect was very successful. I felt like the sky was going to open any second.
In addition to the design of the production, I enjoyed watching Shakespeare performed by an all female cast. In addition to the fact the cast was all female, many of the roles were switched to be female as well. The whole play was set in a matriarchal society. Lear was a queen and many of the dukes of the surrounding lands were female characters as well. It is always enjoyable to watch a production originally male centered rewritten with many strong, female leads. It also demonstrates that the story and the issues that it addresses, love, betrayal, and the fragility of the human mind, transcend gender.
Many of the actors played male roles in addition to their female roles. However, the switch to their male roles was marked only by the addition of a headband. This fact however was not mentioned before the play began. This was a mistake in my opinion. To an unknowing audience member, the transition was not clear and it took me many scenes to figure it out. This resulted in some avoidable confusion. Aside from this detail, the play was a huge success in my eyes. The acting was superb, I enjoyed the female cast and the role reversals, and the overall design of the play was very coherent and transported you back to the ancient world of the Britons.
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