Kevin R. McNally is not one of those luminaries of the British stage who, after a long career treading the boards, finally tackles what is considered the Everest of Shakespearean roles. Although he has done occasional work in theatre, he has primarily been a character actor in film and TV, and is probably best-known for his role as Jack Sparrow’s first mate in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. But in Nancy Meckler’s 2017 production at London’s Globe Theatre, McNally delivers a strong performance as the king who unwisely excludes the youngest of his three daughters from any part of his inheritance simply because she is insufficiently effusive in expressing her love for him. Afterwards, he suffers humiliation as the two older siblings and their husbands refuse him and his friends the respect he considers his due in retirement. McNally’s Lear is no doddering old man, but a leonine figure who stalks the stage and recites the verse vigorously—not, perhaps, in an especially subtle reading, but definitely a viscerally powerful one. Meckler’s vision is predicated on a simple concept: the actors are homeless people who take over the stage to perform the play, although the premise seems little more than a device to allow for a minimalist staging, with rickety sets and raggedy costumes. The rest of the cast is adequate, but only in a few cases exceptional, notably Joshua James as Gloucester’s son Edgar, who assumes the persona of the beggar Poor Tom. Overall, this is a solid presentation, ultimately worth seeing mostly for McNally’s surprisingly effective turn. Extras include interviews with Meckler and McNally, and a cast gallery. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)
King Lear
(2017) 194 min. DVD: $24.99. Opus Arte (dist. by Naxos of America). Volume 34, Issue 5
King Lear
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