On ‘Lear,’ Laughs, And The Indignities Of Age
Simon Godwin Goes For The Groundlings In An Oddly Funny Take On A Tragedy
King Lear By William Shakespeare Directed by Simon Godwin At the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre through April 8
As an alt-weekly theater critic back in the day, I was rarely in the business of bottom-lining the shows I reviewed. I usually had the luxury of noodling on texts and themes at some length — of describing performances and stage pictures and directorial approaches until readers had enough information to make up their own minds. And whether I was praising a production or puncturing its pretensions, I’d always try to do it colorfully enough that even the dubious could find an image or argument that would make them think, I should really check that out for myself.
There were exceptions, as when I suggested selling a child or two to snag a seat to see Roger Guenveur Smith in A Huey P. Newton Story. But they were relatively …
