The children in King Lear

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 4:04pm

I understand that three young actresses play King Lear's daughters as children in the new Public Theater production of King Lear. But could someone explain what their purpose is, when they appear, what they do, etc.? I may not see this production (my Dad is the main reason) so I'd like to know.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 4:15pm

Spoilers:

Much like FOLLIES, the 3 young girls serve as "ghosts of the past." They begin the show by creating a map of England in sand, which Lear eventually destroys during the first scene. They then come back towards the end when Regan, Goneril, and Cordelia die.

It's Lapine's interpretation of Lear's final line, "look there, look there." Rather than looking at the dead Cordelia, he's looking at his daughters as young children.

[AC126748]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 4:15pm

They parallel Lear's adult daughters. My own interpretation (and I don't think my opinion is the be-all-end-all) was that the innocence of the daughters as little girls is supposed to contrast with their spiteful adult counterparts. The innocence of childhood versus the harshness of adulthood and whatnot.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 4:19pm

That, too, is a very good interpretation.

All said, it's a very interesting take on the play.

[circusliz]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 4:29pm

*spoiler*






Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me, but do the little girls not also join Lear for a family hug right at the opening, before the dialogue begins?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 4:29pm

Yes, that's true.

[circusliz]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 4:32pm

Glad my job hasn't driven me so crazy as to lose my memory!

I thouhgt it was a very sweet moment, and it certainly did much to frame the "father-daughter" context of Lapine's interpretation.

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 4:34pm

Sounds intreging. Do we know if there are any tickets left? If so, I'd love to see this production!

[AC126748]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 4:36pm

The run is sold out, but you could always try for rush/cancellations. I didn't really care for the production, though, so I'd say it's nothing to go out of your way for.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 6:45pm

That sounds very interesting. Thank you for the info.

God, Shakespeare, Sondheim, Kline, and Cerveris. Sounds like a heavenly combination.

[Tom-497]

Posted: 3/10/07 at 1:26pm

On the night I went, the childhood Regan and Goneril were already starting out by squabbling over who got to pour the colored sand that demarcated the kingdom. One of the girls even called the other a brat. Meanwhile, the childhood Cordelia was relatively disengaged, just pouring the blue of the ocean. That suggested to me that she didn't really care who got what in the kingdom.

Also, the girls were drawing the kingdom on a small patch of sand that would gradually come to encompass the whole stage. So, to me, the opening scene with the kids was suggesting that the kingdom was not built on a strong foundation. Rather, the seeds of collapse were there from the start in at least two of the three daughters. They grew up physically, but they never got beyond that initial childish fighting, which simply took on more violent proportions in later years.

So, I, at least, did not see the contrast between childhood "innocence" and less-innocent adulthood that some have noted. To me, the kingdom was always just a plaything to "wanton girls" who grew older but never changed.