Pictured: (left to right) Seamus Mulcahy as Lear’s wise and critical Fool and Daniel Davis as King Lear.
Photo: © Gerry Goodstein

By ROBERT L. DANIELS - July 5, 2008

Dark, mighty and poetic, Shakespeare's " King Lear " remains the definitive savage family drama -- a monumental tale of a betrayed monarch's descent into madness and grief. The mournful howl of the king can currently be heard in a new production by the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey, nestled on the campus of Drew U. Artistic director Bonnie J. Monte has staged the tragedy ona gloomy bluff. The decidedly bleak landscape and barefoot players, garbed in muted brown and black tunics, stalk the rocky terrain with spidery stealth.

Daniel Davis (TV's " The Nanny ") is a virile Lear of enormous swagger and dash. Davis brings weight and clarity to the part, defining the despair in the storm- toss'd mad scene. His perf is both imposing and accessible.

In what is surely the Bard's most chilling scene, the faithful Gloucester (Edmund Genest ) is strapped to a table and blinded by Regan (Victoria Mack) and Cornwall (Matt Bradford Sullivan). He is subsequently led to the cliffs of Dover for a failed suicide leap by his banished son, Edgar (Kevin Isola ). Genest offers a touching portrait of old Gloucester that is warm-hearted, gullible and noble. Isola balances feigned madness with harbored loyalty to both his king and his father.

Mack's Regan and Kristie Dale Sanders' Goneril , Lear's well-coiffed daughters, are mean and ruthless siblings; maliciously well-focused, Sanders defines icy terror, and Mack projects mousy malevolence with a teasing sexual thrust. A lovely Erin Partin conveys the misguided allegiance of the strong-willed Cordelia .

As Edmund, the illegitimate half-brother of Edgar, Marcus Dean Fuller offers a tautly drawn portrait of a scheming and calculating neurotic. Seamus Mulcahy is the wise little Fool, but his wisdom fails to reveal the intrinsic whimsy, wit and compassion required.

There is earnest support from Ames Adamson as the sturdy Kent and Scott Whitehurst as a boldly fervent Albany. Both actors speak the Bard with great clarity and conviction. The courtly treachery is accented by Steven Rosen's lighting design.

Although Monte's uncluttered staging is not a production of grand pageantry, it is one of great pluck and purpose. With: Dan Lendzian , Craig Bazan , John Mulcahy , Tyler Eglen , Nick Nappo , Jon Barker.

Set, Marion Williams; costumes, Clint Ramos; lighting, Steven Rosen; sound, Karin Graybash ; production stage manager, Alison Cote. Opened July 5, 2008. Runs through July 27. Running time: 3 HOURS, 15 MIN.

-------------------------

Theater Review: 'King Lear'

By Simon Saltzman

Considering what is going on now in this world of ours, it is no wonder that Ò King Lear Ó is being given more attention than ever. For as Bonnie J. Monte, the artistic director of the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey and director of the current production, states in her program notes, ÒIt is about a world completely out of balance, awash in chaos, and leaderless.Ó It is the right time for the politically and artistically progressive Monte to put her stamp on this classic.

Dramatically exposed madness not only makes for good theater but makes analysts of its observers. Objectified madness reigns in art. The diva who conquers the operatically expressed madness of Lucia di Lammermoor or the prima ballerina who envelopes the danced madness of Giselle may, indeed, enable a gifted performing artist to use that characterÕs madness as a propellant. But it remains (my belief) for the actor, with his spoken words, to bring the abysmal darkness and impenetrable and mysterious depths of the mind to us in the most accessible terms. And this is what makes Daniel DavisÕ portrayal so splendid, resonant, emotionally real, and realized.

But, does anyone ever think to consider King Lear from the daughtersÕ point of view? Consider this: You have just been given a kingdom to rule by your father the king, who is retiring not a minute too soon. You have no sooner moved into your new digs and your father decides he wants to come and stay for a month, first with you and then off to stay for a month with your sister, who got the other half of the kingdom. Your old father arrives, not by himself with a valet, but with his full entourage and army. You havenÕt even had time to hang the new drapes and hire the kitchen help and here he is at the front door expecting you to welcome him and his court for a prolonged stay. Ungrateful of you perhaps, but it sure is enough to get you to conspire with your sister to take charge and keep the king, already plagued with advanced senility, in tow.

There is no denying that filial ingratitude plays a large part in Ò King Lear Ó but as produced by Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey, most of our attention will be on the extraordinarily fine performance of Davis in the title role. However, he is surrounded by an impressive troupe of supporting players and MonteÕs clearly focused and unfussy staging. Davis has a lock on the mentally deteriorating king that wonÕt let us take our eyes off of him. The obligatory white hair and beard cannot hide or compromise the utter despair and the abject disappointment he feels in those who professed to love him.

MonteÕs exciting and effective staging of this bi-level tragic tale of misjudging a personÕs character and royal deception in pre-Christian Britain is enhanced by a production that employs a visually stunning, inventively constructed unit set of a craggy mountain, a cave, and landscape, the work of designer Marion Williams. The set also works to evoke the interiors of various castles, battlefields, and other locations without much effort. Steven RosenÕs lighting design adds considerable scope to the atmospherics, especially in the famed storm scene. Also impressive is the percussive sound score/ design by Karin Graybash.

The themes of old age and the different relationships of each child to his/her parent, in both the main and sub-plots, brings universal timelessness to each new generation of viewers. Briefly, the story details King LearÕs misapprehension of his one daughterÕs devotion, causing him to divide his kingdom between the remaining two daughters, who have feigned their love. The resulting web of deception by the wicked daughters to strip their father of all power, and at the same time involve and seduce Edmund, the bastard son of the Earl of Gloucester (who has the similar function in the sub-plot of deceiving his father by denouncing his brother Edgar as a traitor), results in a downward spiral of devastating proportions.

The majestic sweep of the poetry is hardly surpassed in all of Shakespeare. The fight scenes are vividly addressed by Rick Sordelet. Despite LearÕs unstable mental state and his sheer physical deterioration as a factor, Davis creates an image of him that also expresses LearÕs valiant grandeur amid glimmers of senile foolishness. The many dimensions of reality and insanity seem hardly a breath away from DavisÕs awareness. His body seems burdened if not harassed by his seedy garments, Davis is, indeed, heartbreaking for being Òmore sinned against than sinning.Ó He also sustains his heartbreak, as he carries (a feat not always attempted) CordeliaÕs dead body on stage over his shoulder.

As the she-tiger, Goneril, Kristie Dale Sanders pays due homage to conspicuous contempt. As the second daughter, Regan, Victoria Mack unravels her mischief with despicable conscientiousness. Of course, she is blonde, young, and beautiful but Erin Partin has also found the key to unlock the uncomplicated affection of her father by third daughter Cordelia. Considering the touch of innocently misguided honesty in response to her fatherÕs loaded question, Partin gives Cordelia an air of nicely conceived credibility. Kevin Isola, as Edgar, gains our empathy not only for having to withstand having his dirt-smeared body protected by a loin cloth, but also for the frenetic and frenzied delivery of his lines.

As his conniving false brother, Edmund, Marcus Dean Fuller gives a convincing and charismatic performance. Ames Adamson is a sturdy Earl of Kent and Seamus Mulcahy impressively takes no back seat in addressing the impish doings and wise discourse of LearÕs faithful fool. The Earl of Gloucester gets a wonderful interpreter in Edmund Genest, who appears to understand the role to the depths of its unreasonableness. It is good to report that all the poetry is heard with an understanding of its meter. Not something to be taken for granted. This is a Ò King Lear Ó that can be commended to all those who want to experience a production that forcefully and fearlessly compliments Shakespeare at his peak.

-------------------------

MORE THAN JUST A KINGDOM LOST

By ROBERT L. DANIELS

The great dramatic sweep of King Lear is admirably captured by artistic director Bonnie J. Monte and Daniel Davis in the title role.

King Lear is the Everest of William Shakespeare's plays. Dark, mighty, and poetic, it remains the definitive savage family tragedy- a monumental tale of a betrayed monarch's descent into grief and madness. On the heels of last season's productions of Lear with Kevin Kline at Gotham's Public Theatre and the towering turn given by Ian McKellen and the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Brooklyn Academy, comes yet another majestic and mournful howl. This season it can be found by the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. housed on the campus of Drew University in Madison.

Artistic director Bonnie J. Monte has staged the drama on a dark and gloomy rocky bluff. It is a decidedly bleak landscape, and the barefooted players garbed in muted brown and black tunics stalk the terrain with spidery stealth.

Daniel Davis is an accomplished actor who has had considerable experience in the works of Shakespeare, Ibsen and Moliere, though he is perhaps best known for his role as Niles, the butler, in the television series, The Nanny. Davis is a virile Lear one of swagger and dash. In the storm- toss'd mad scene he defines the despair, and he brings weight and clarity to the play's poetic peaks. The great dramatic sweep of the text is in good hands.

In what is surely the Bard's most chilling scene, the faithful Gloucester is strapped to a table and blinded by Regan and Cornwall. He is subsequently led to the cliffs of Dover for a failed suicidal leap by his banished son Edgar in the guise of the Bedlam beggar, Poor Tom. Edmund Genest offers a touching portrait of Gloucester that is warm-hearted, gullible and noble. As Edgar, the fugitive nobleman, Kevin Isola balances feigned madness with harbored loyalty to his king and his father.

As Edmund, the illegitimate half-brother of Edgar, Marcus Dean Fuller offers a tautly drawn portrait of a scheming and calculating neurotic. Seamus Mulcahy is the wise little Fool, but his wisdom fails to take hold. The whimsy, wit and compassion is missing.

Kristie Dale Sanders as Goneril and Victoria Mack as Regan are Lear's well-coiffed but callous daughters.They make for icy siblings ruthless and maliciously well focused. Sanders conveys the quiet terror of Daphine Du Maurier's Mrs. Danvers, the demonic housekeeper of Rebecca. Mack projects mousy malevolence with a teasing sexual thrust. A lovely Erin Partin conveys the mis -guided loyalty of the strong-willed Cordelia .

There is earnest support from Ames Adamson as a sturdy Kent and Scott Whitehurst as a boldly fervent Albany. Both actors speak the Bard with great clarity and conviction.

The courtly treachery is accented by Steven Rosen's stealthy lighting design. Monte's fluent staging brings in the play at just a tad over three hours.

King Lear runs through July 27.

-------------------------