There’s very little that can be said about King Lear that hasn’t already been said. The 400 year-old Shakespearian drama gets a fresh glance courtesy of one-weekend theatre company Theatre Gigante. Company co-founders Isabelle Kralj and Mark Anderson present a new take on the old classic.
Though I’m tempted to be exceedingly cautious about any show that attempts to mutate Shakespeare, this one looks good. Though Shakespeare’s been dissected on and offstage in experimental, non-experimental and quasi-experimental formats countless times over the years, Kralj and Anderson have a really excellent track record for putting together dreamlike productions that appear and vanish over thecourse of only a few consecutive performances in a single weekend.
Theatre Gigante recently delivered a formal press release on next month’s The Lears features an interesting blend of Gigante regulars and non-regulars, including Jennifer Rupp, john Kishline, The show also includes video montages by Tate Bunker. The most promising bit in the press release is a little bit of text that suggests the unexpected, promising a: “A fragmented, connect-the-dots approach to Shakespeare’s story.” I’m all for fragmenting a 400 year-old drama to get at any intellectual marrow still lurking inside beyond a more straightforward presentation . . .
Theatre Gigante’s The Lears runs November 18th – 21st at UWM’s Studio 508 at 1925 East Kenilworth Place.
