‘King Lear:’ Complex, Relevant, Captivating

– Courtesy photo

By Nathaniel Cayanan

Classical repertory company A Noise Within, now celebrating an illustrious 25 years of gracing audiences with quality theatre, has opened their latest iteration of the William Shakespeare play “King Lear.”

For those unfamiliar with this work, the play follows the aging king of Britain, Lear, and his spiral into madness and journey to redemption. It all starts when he decides to divvy up his kingdom among his three daughters. But, once he relinquishes his power to the sycophantic and selfish Goneril and Regan, while shunning his only honest daughter, Cordelia, what ensues is both a man and a kingdom thrust into chaos both on the mental and physical levels.

Certainly, as with many Shakespeare plays, the material could have been quickly dismissible as uninteresting and inaccessible high art by today’s general audience. But, A Noise Within, as they do with many of their productions, offers a show that really pulls you in and holds you for the duration because of strong direction from Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and powerhouse performances from her husband Geoff Elliott and the cast he leads.

Throughout, Geoff Elliott, who plays Lear, exhibits great dedication to both his character and his craft. His performance is quite detailed, nuanced and entertaining, one that doesn’t just rely on the typical portrayal of a man going cuckoo, ranting on about the nonsensical. As he has done in past productions such as “All My Sons” and “A Christmas Carol,” Elliott loses himself in his tragic character, making sure that even the slightest gesture is as true as possible.

Similarly, the cast, many of whom are regular collaborators of the company, truly deliver performances that only enhance the theatre going experience. For example, the three daughters, played by Trisha Miller, Arie Thompson and Erika Soto, are never flat portrayals, but rather multi-faceted, even when Miller and Thompson perform the scene in which they give empty words of love and praise to their ailing father. In lesser hands, such a scene would be hammed up, on the nose, insistently insincere. But, Miller and Thompson present characters who may at first even actually love their father, even if they eventually betray him and leave him to his madness. In short, they’re complicated, and not just good guys or bad guys.

And this leads to the final reason that this “King Lear” is so impressive: namely, the company’s ability to make the play relevant, and powerfully personal, which was intentional, confessed director Julia Rodriguez-Elliott. According to Rodriguez-Elliott, this interpretation heavily considers parallels between Lear’s psychological predicament, along with the family turmoil that ensues, and the experiences of the growing number of modern day families with members suffering from dementia. Such efforts create incredible sympathy for Lear and his daughters, however selfish, insensitive or crazy they may be at times. In a sense, Lear and his daughters are us…if we were royalty and had massive armies at our command. When we see Lear, we see our fathers, mothers, grandparents, uncles as they age out of their societies. And when we see his daughters, we see our cousins, siblings. Ourselves. And with that, “King Lear” captivates and haunts you well after the lights have gone black and final bows are taken.

“King Lear” will play until May 6 at A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., in Pasadena.  Single tickets are $44; adult group tickets, $30 each; and student group tickets, $18 each. Purchases can be made through www.anoisewithin.org or by calling (626) 356-3100.

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