King Lear at Shakespeare and Company, directed by Rebecca Holderness, with Dennis Krausnick, by Michael Miller

Jonathan Croy, Corinne May, Kevin G. Coleman, Dennis Krausnick, and Kristin Wold in Shakespeare & Co.'s KIng Lear. Photos © 2012 Kevin Sprague.

Jonathan Croy, Corinne May, Kevin G. Coleman, Dennis Krausnick, and Kristin Wold in Shakespeare & Co.’s KIng Lear. Photos © 2012 Kevin Sprague.

King Lear
by William Shakespeare

directed by Rebecca Holderness

Cast:
Dennis Krausnick with Thomas Brazzle, Caroline Calkins, Kevin G. Coleman, Jonathan Croy, Timothy Douglas, Jonathan Epstein, Kelly Galvin, Zoë Laiz, Peter Macklin, Corinna May, James Read, Eric Sirakian, Brendan Sokler, Enrico Spada, Alex Stewart, Bill Watson, Ryan Winkles, Kristin Wold

This impressive production of King Lear presents something of a challenge to the reviewer. The usual procedure of praising the direction, the sets, the costumes, and the acting—all of which deserve high praise—somehow misses the point. Of course, I found the show gripping, and I gained some important insights into the play, but I think what is unique in this production is the process through which the artists created it and the effect this has on what the audience experiences on stage. Of course I wasn’t there during the rehearsals. I can only extrapolate from what I saw and heard, both in the theater and in a few brief conversations with some members of the cast…and blessings on Shakespeare & Company for making these informal chats possible.


Read the full review on the Berkshire Review, an International Journal for the Arts!