King Lear

Lightning Strike are back at Carrick Hill with a play filled with murder, Intrigue, treachery and insanity. Yes it's another of Shakespeare's jolly romps. This time it's the tragedy, King Lear, under the tight direction of Paul Peers.

The main shortfall with this performance was due to the stiff breeze that sprang up for the second act, sweeping away some of the weaker voices and further drowning them with the rushing of the wind in the leaves and occasional creaking branch. This was worsened by having to compete with the sound effects. Some of the cast really need to work hard on improving their projection. The other problem was with Renato Musolino's portrayal of Edmund. His characterization was faultless, but his broken delivery of the lines, rarely more than three words at a burst, would have been bad enough for prose, but was unforgivable for Shakespeare's blank verse. It showed inexperience and a lack of understanding of the genre.

Matt Russell, as Edgar, however gave a marvelous performance, filled with sadness and sympathy. Alan Holy is no man's fool as Lear's Fool. This was another magnificent performance.

As for Lear, we were treated to a performance for which superlatives fail, as Warwick Cooper made the King come to life. He brought his extensive experience to the role and created something very special. Catherine Campbell and Rachael Kirkham as the plotting sisters, Goneril and Regan, gave strong performances, while Belinda Hellyer gave a sensitive portrayal of the third sister, Cordelia.

Wayne Anthoney, as Gloucester, is elegant in a well-crafted rendition. Brendan Blue, Aaron Bernhardt, Don Goldsmith, Dylan Lloyd, Julian Jaensch and Salley-Anne Cowley complete the line-up in this compelling production.

Grab a picnic basket and a bottle of wine and race up there as it is not to be missed.

by Barry Lenny

Rip It Up Magazine