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. ...