KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#1KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:19pm
A $60 master class in acting is being taught at the Public's Anspacher Theater. The teacher: America's leading Shakespearian actor Kevin Kline, Larry Bryggman, Michael Cerveris, and the rest of the brilliant cast.
Words cannot describe how highly I regard this production - it's what theater truly is about.
Luckily for the audience, the LEAR summary is listed in the program, but it's still somewhat easy to follow. The family drama is one of Shakespeare's best works and this production does no disservice to the material.
Leading the company is Kevin Kline as Lear, the aged, senile king. Kline is as good as ever, his descent into madness appropriately horrifying. Even if he were terrible, it would be worth it to see him. I'd pay to see him read the yellow pages. It's good to say that he doesn't disappoint. Larry Bryggman as Gloucester and Michael Cerveris as Kent are experts and get to prove their acting chops very nicely. The three are giving wonderfully nuanced performances. Bryggman's is heart-breaking.
Angela Pierce, Kristen Bush, and Laura Odeh as Goneril, Cordelia, and Regan, respectively, are terrific and beautiful. Ditto Logan Marshall-Green and Brian Avers as Edmund and Edgar. Avers really stood out as "Poor Tom," the beggar. They will all go very far.
Perhaps one of the many highlights was Philip Goodwin as Fool, the comic relief. What actors, all of them. Collectively, there's not 1 weak link in the company.
Heidi Ettinger's two-tiered subway-grate/sandbox set is very nice (reminicent of Two Gentlemen of Verona in Central Park two years ago). Jess Goldstein's military-style, costumes fit the production well. The daughters' costumes are all color-coated, matching their younger selves (I'll get to that.) David Lander's lighting is terrific, especially towards the end of the first act.
Stephen Sondheim and Michael Starobin's incidental and scene change music is heart-stopping. The live band, conducted by Henry Aronson steal the show.
James Lapine's production is thrilling, to say the least. His concept for the 3 daughters is Follies-esque, a very interesting take on the part. There are 3 young actors (Paris Rose Yates, Nicole Bocchi, and Talicia Martins) who appear at different points throughout the play, symbolizing Lear's madness and, by the end, the death of the 3 women. It's a great concept that works nicely. He also uses a lot of Christ imagery, crown-of-thorns and all.
At 3 hours 20 minutes (act one is 2 hours, act 2 is one-twenty), it's a marathon performance that is very gorey (a decent amount of blood). It's a little slow here and there, but it's easily forgiven. Sadly, many people around me were asleep (very rude - there was a guy in the front row SNORING), others left at intermission. The rest of the audience was busy choking to death. I hope I don't catch pneumonia from the people sitting around me.
My "obstructed" seats weren't obstructed at all. I was surprised that they'd sell them at a discount.
If you can get tickets, buy them now. You won't regret it.
Updated On: 2/11/07 at 08:19 PM
#2re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:24pmI saw Brian Avers go on twice in INISHMORE, once as Padriac and once as Joey. He's a tremendous actor. I go Friday---can't wait.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#2re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:26pmDoes anyone sing anything from FOLLIES?
#3re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:28pmCordelia belts out a killer "Could I Leave You?". Brings a whole new depth to the music...
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
Heybeenfood
Broadway Star Joined: 5/15/06
#4re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:31pmWhat is the best way to get tickets? From my understanding it is sold out.
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#5re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:34pmPS: The above-all highlight has to be the hair-piece that they had Cerveris wear through the first scene (and ultimately disappears). Nothing like seeing him with a full head of hair....a bit strange.
#6re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:45pm
Heybeenfood-
They have rush for every performance, although I'd imagine you have to get there quite some time before they started selling to be guaranteed seats. I'm sure they also have some sort of cancellation line.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
BroadwayGirl107
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/26/03
#7re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:48pm
I'm glad you liked it; I've been enjoying it very much as well (I work there, so I've seen the past four nights and enjoyed them all very much).
Heybeenfood...I'm pretty sure you can get rush tickets. I overheard one of the staff members saying there were a few rush seats being released the other day. And there have been a couple of scattered empty seats each night...so I'd be willing to bet there's a way to get your hands on some tickets.
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#8re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:48pm
There were a number of empty seats (I'm sure they were saved for production reps, as I saw many people - Oskar Eustis included - taking notes.)
There were even more available seats following the intermission...
#9re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 8:54pmi'm jealous. SO jealous. SO SO SO SO jealous.
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#11re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 9:49pm
i'll try Yankee.
any pictures?
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#12re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 9:52pm
Of the production? Not as of yet. Soon enough, I'm sure.
Just imagine a giant sandbox with scaffolding over it.
#13re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 9:53pm
er...
i'm having awful flashbacks
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#14re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/11/07 at 9:54pm
Ha.
It was a creative looking set - the sand was there so the actors would have something to fall on.
#15re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/12/07 at 12:52amI went with Yankee. It was incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Megan Mullally as Karen Walker on Will and Grace: "Tell me more. Tell me more. Like does he have a car?"
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#16re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/12/07 at 8:34amMy thoughts exactly (minus the exclamation marks).
#17re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/12/07 at 6:31pmyankeefan you mentioned that you had purchased partial view seats, which you didn't really consider to be partial view, out of curiosity where was your seat. I ask because I'm seeing it next Sunday in C 22 which is also marked "partial view". Also, did you attempt to stagedoor?
#18re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/12/07 at 6:43pmFrogs, we were in B 18 and 20. We did stagedoor and got lots of people. Not Kevin, though.
Megan Mullally as Karen Walker on Will and Grace: "Tell me more. Tell me more. Like does he have a car?"
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#19re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/12/07 at 6:49pm
Frogs - Funny you say C22. Not to scare you, but C22 doesn't exist. The woman behind me had that problem. There's a structual column where seat C20 would be, hence making C20 the seat next to it. That is what's considered C22. Tough to explain, but you get the point. Just don't get scared. And remember, they're not playing to the sides, just the center.
The lobby is the entrance/exit for the actors.
Updated On: 2/12/07 at 06:49 PM
April Saul
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/17/06
#20re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/12/07 at 7:03pmHi, I've got B-11 and B-13 for later this month, are they a good place to be? Some folks on All That Chat said they'd paid full price like I did, but their seats were obstructed after all...thanks!
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#21re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/12/07 at 7:23pmThat's on the opposite side but seems to be OK. The space is so small that there are no bad seats.
#22re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/12/07 at 7:26pmCan you expand on Michael's hairpiece a little? You know, style, cut, color? Was it John Wilkes Booth-y? And why did it disappear halfway through? Lol... yeah, that's all I really care about. I'm so ashamed.
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#23re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/12/07 at 7:31pm
It was better than his Booth hairpiece, still dark, but conformed to his head better.
It disappeared after Kent is banished and eventually returns in a disguise to serve Lear.
Updated On: 2/12/07 at 07:31 PM
#24re: KING LEAR at the Public - A Thrilling Must See!
Posted: 2/12/07 at 7:43pm
Ooh.
I loved his Booth wig, so if this one was better fitting than I'm truly excited. Thank you for describing. And I guess it's pretty obvious that I've never read King Lear. :)
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