King Lear would make bard proud

CONWAY - The Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre’s production of William Shakespeare’s King Lear would have made the old bard proud. In fact, the simple set and enthusiasm for the dialogue might be as close as an Arkansan can come to a seat at the Globe theater.

Thursday night’s opening performance at the University of Central Arkansas’ Reynolds Performance Hall had an intimate feel, with audience chairs on risers in semicircular fashion on the stage.

From the back row, the auditorium’s usual seats behind me, with backstage exits and entrances on either side, I could see the actors and extras as drums were beaten and preparations made for death scenes. I would not call it distracting. In my eyes, it only added to the accessibility of a play that must be experienced to be fully understood.

And the Shakespeare Theatre cast has a passion and talent for that. You get the sense it could perform Shakespeare anywhere - in an airport, a courtyard, a field, a box with a fox.

The simple, half-moon set - just faux-stone steps and a high, painted-blue back wall - serves as throne room, thunderstorm-ravaged woods, conspiracy chamber, battleground and any other necessary setting.

But sometimes a character’s back must be turned to a section of the audience. It’s unavoidable, and without microphones, we strain to hear the dialogue. That’s not ideal for a play that relies heavily on dialogue - large, mind-blowing amounts of dialogue.

The cast is perfection down to each and every performer’s facial expressions, even those who never speak a line.

Lear is brought to life - and death - by the completely uninhibited Henson Keys, who embodies Lear fully - animated in his raving monologues, his temper tantrums, his shirtless slide into madness.

At the other end of the spectrum, our introduction to the scheming, conspiratorial Edmund, played by Philip Orazio, is smooth. At first, he’s an almost likable rogue, with a sly smile at the audience and a playful finger to the lips when his plot against his brother, Edgar, played by Chad Bradford, rolls into action. We’re in on the secret, and we know it.

The lighting, which dimsduring his monologue to reflect his dark intentions, is also used to great effect when the poor Earl of Gloucester, played by Robert Gerard Anderson, is blinded by the Duke of Cornwall. Gloucester sits, his back to the audience, the low spotlights throwing tall, ominous shadows on the wall as his horrific punishment is carried out. The audience is largely silent - no audible gasping - but cringes in unison. A fake blood capsule seals the deal. It’s a powerful scene, powerfully played.

Lear’s Fool, played by Courtney Bennett, a woman in a man’s role, is probably the most pivotal. Shakespeare always gives his fools the choicest, most candid lines, and Lear’s is no exception -insightful and significant. But her playful, coy delivery makes her the most difficult to understand.

All return for performances at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday-Thursday and next Saturday and 2 p.m. June 30 at the Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. It runs in repertory with the musical Oliver! and Bottom’s Dream, an adaptation for children of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Ticket information is available by calling (501) 450-3265 or online at arkshakes.com.