King Lear – Wyndham’s Theatre

Written in 1604, King Lear is sandwiched between Measure For Measure, Othello and Macbeth, a period in the bard’s writing dedicated to history and tragedy.  419 years later, and following many extraordinary performances, how can Kenneth Branagh and team bring something different to their production?  And here is where I feel that some modern productions fall foul, the need to modernise and bring today’s razzamatazz into the equation.  Call me old fashioned, call me a Shakespeare prude, but I want to see, hear, and feel the language, the small nuances that a blank stage can offer, and when I hear the words spoken, allow them to touch me, without the hinderance of external factors introduced by an over eager director wishing to put their own mark on Shakespeare’s work.  So here goes!

A brief summary of King Lear – set in Ancient Britain, an aging King Lear (Kenneth Branagh) has three daughters, Goneril (Deborah Alli) the eldest of the three, Regan (Melanie-Joyce Bermudez), and Cordelia (Jessica Revell).  Due to his advancing years, King Lear wishes to pass on his duties to his daughters, and to divide his kingdom equally, but they must each profess how deep their love is for him.  Vanity distorts his decisions as his two elder daughters paint a lyrical picture of their undying affection for their father, but his youngest, and sweetest, most caring daughter says nothing, feeling that a daughter’s affection should be without question.  Lear swiftly angers at her; she is disinherited and cast out of the kingdom.  The tragedy unfolds, as Lear’s vanity, leads to insanity due to his eldest daughters acting selfishly, and the realisation of what he has done leads to madness.

Considering my above comments, how did Kenneth Branagh’s version compare with how I feel Shakespeare may have imagined his play being performed in the 21st century?  From the beginning it is clear the production is slick, with moving stone walls, a revolving stage and a very impressive projected circular skyline which is ever changing and affects the mood of the scenes.  Now, before I move on with this, let’s remember that King Lear is elderly, and is passing on his duties to his daughters, due to his advancing years.  The opening scene sets the tone for the production, it is energetic, using a tribal theme it moves quickly through Lear’s early declarations, and Branagh sees off Cordelia and Kent in swift fashion.  In this scene, I want to see a man tortured by the loss of his daughter’s love, and yes, there is a hint of it there, but Branagh’s athletic movement around the stage does not have me convinced of his frailty and advancing years.  And herein lies the main problem with this play, it feels as though we are watching King Branagh, and not King Lear!  There were also times when Goneril and Regan were relaying their speeches to the audience, rather than to their scene partner, there was a lack of connection between the characters, which made it fall flat, and felt more like a reading, than a play.

There is much to applaud in this production if you do not wish to sit through a long version of King Lear, then this play is for you at 2 hours long (with no interval).  The production values are excellent, and lighting designer Paul Keogan and projection designer Nina Dunn add a modern element to the production, without detracting too much from the performance, which is a difficult thing to achieve.  The battle scenes were incredibly well co-ordinated and fight director Bret Yount, challenged the performers to show off their stunt fighting prowess.  But for those who love the full-length version, you may walk away feeling that the play is slightly undercooked.  The full-length play at over 3 hours, allowed the playwright to slowly develop his character’s traits, the subtlety of the language had time to filter through the senses, and these words encouraged the use of imagination and to develop a virtual setting within one’s own mind, something that is sadly missing here. 

In summary, this play caters for today’s world of quick, slick enjoyment.  Undoubtedly, there are some good performances, and no-one would argue that Branagh gives his all in the role of Lear, and in his direction; but the trimming back of the play makes it feel rushed, and the essence of Shakespeare’s language is somehow lost.  As a standalone production, this is technically stunning, but as a vehicle for the language of Shakespeare, it’s a like Tesla speeding through the 1600’s!

To book to see King Lear go to https://www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk/whats-on/king-lear#about-the-show  The play has only 50 performances, and runs until the 9^th December 2023, so be quick!

Reviewer: Caroline Worswick

Reviewed: 31^st October 2023

North West End UK Rating: