Theatre Review: King Lear

Ok, So, I've decided that I will share some of the culture that I get with Sweetness with you knuckleheads out in the blogasphere.

Tonight, or this afternoon rather, we sat and throughly enjoyed a production of King Lear, starring Stacy Keach at the Goodman. The production was first rate and they most have spent a Million dollars on the set alone, because I was truly taken back, when they had the nerve to have the actors ride out in a car, 5 deep, and when the doors and windows opened, the smoke escaped and they were truly blazed, talking bout a smoke out in Shakespeare day, that shyt was too funny..

The other thing that was funny was my reaction when Edmond, sans clothes rolled all over the stage and Stacey Keach, (King Lear) proceeded to join him in all his nakedness. My eyes were surely amazed and my brain fascinated.

Here the artistic director of the Goodman for the past 20 years has taken one of Shakespeare's mastrepieces, added the most of contemporary of elements, drugs, sex, and rock and roll, twisted with it the language and iambim pentameter of Shakespeare's day that simply shines even through some of the flawed acting. All three sisters in my opinion were Weak.... Goneril, being the weakesy, than Cordelia (who you should care about the most, followed by Regan.... The men for the most part stole the show for me, the marvelous Howard Witt as the Fool, Stacy Keach as LEar (that man has one hell of an imagination), Steve Pickering as Kent (he was the clearest actor of all, in control of the language and truly made you understand every word without needing a dictionary or lexicon).

But out and out, this show is about the Director... Robert Falls has truly taken this Shakesperan tragedy and made it almost a comedy.. something so entertaining your never afraid ur going to fall asleep and he keeps you guessing, with his innuedoes, forbidden love triangles, sense of sexuality and most of all the good and evil that lies in us all.... but even in the end, it is forgiveness that saves this production. We forgive the acting pit falls in favor of the excellent production values and creativity that is truly thrown from the stage.

If I can respect anything it's a man with an imagination and creavity and those are two things Mr. Falls most certainly doesn't lack.

Next week, were off to see Hamlet at Chicago Shakespeare...

So, until than, you'll just have to be entertained with the drama, tragedy, and comedy that comes from my day to day interactions with these crazy people who happened to drop in my life... until than... be safe and be well.

Signing off....