REVIEW: LEAR’S SHADOW by Colin Hurley at Jack Studio Theatre

‘a decidedly upbeat version of King Lear’ ★★★ ½

I’ve never been to an interactive Shakespeare before.   The show is a curious mixture of clowning, playfulness, puppetry and a clarification of some of the finest lines ever written. According to the programme, ‘it is not Lear’, it is an actor ‘sniffing around’ Shakespeare’s great play, for dreamtime, playtime, clown time and maybe holding a few of the gems up to the light.  This it does admirably well, immersing the audience in Shakespeare’s words, albeit a choice selection, ‘re-ordered, re-purposed and oft repeated’.

Devised and performed by Colin Hurley, he arrives humbly in the guise of Lear, with a basket full of props which he proceeds to use one by one until the performances is done. With a young audience on the night, he immediately engages them with his bits and pieces.   Three scarves represent his daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia and this is one of the most successful parts of the show. 

One of the young students of Shakespeare was heard to say (after the show): “I was into it because he was so into it”. It is true to say that the youngsters smiled and laughed their way throughout the production. The show is ideal for those reading King Lear or just as an introduction to Shakespeare. For myself the ‘fun’ was not for me.

When reading I always preferred a text which had tremendous depth, and obscurity, such as Kafka’s The Trial. As a young teen, I felt that it was a great work of literature , telling of a mysterious culture, unknown to myself at the time. My curiosity was piqued which meant returning to the book time and again. (Sadly, I now know more than enough about the circumstances in which Joseph K finds himself). Similarly, Shakespeare’s Lear is one of the most complex to examine and is perhaps easier for those of us who have already reached advanced years.

Whilst, for me at least, Hurley’s show seemed to be a dumbing down of the great drama, he certainly gave full airtime to some of the more obscure parts, such as the fool’s words which are usually skimmed over and forgotten, they are so tricky to unravel. Here, with the aid of a few props, Shakespeare’s words gained a new clarity.

Less successful, for myself at least, were the instruments by which the audiences made the storm, it reminds me of how those in their dotage are made to be willing fools, here seeming to fit a teenage audience much more appropriately. I am clearly a curmudgeon but, I hope, not as foolish as Lear.

In Hurley’s hands the anti-feminism of the piece does sound quite shrill and clear (although spoken calmly and with truth).   May I just say (from a women’s perspective), who wants to look after Lear’s retinue? They’re expensive and troublesome and he really doesn’t need them anymore. I’m still waiting for a spin off: Regan and Goneril, Lear’s least favourite daughters.

Hurley also gave a little of the bawdiness of the play, including some of the most grotesque descriptions. I suppose it’s okay that Hurley bared his bottom, instead of going naked, but if intended to raise a laugh it fell flat (and drew a few gasps of horror from the older ones in the audience).  I did notice that Hurley lovingly collected his props before ending the piece. He clearly intends to take his show to other places and so he should. Although not to my taste, it has clearly hit a nerve here and there and I really did feel the loss of Cordelia, usually one of the most moving scenes in Shakespeare’s cannon of work. Hurley didn’t milk it, but quickly moved on, rather than dwelling on death. 

Having been an actor for forty years and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre, Colin Hurley certainly knows his stuff, and his depth of understanding is unquestionably another strength of the show.  Here, Hurley’s personal reflection on King Lear is a decidedly upbeat version of Shakespeare’s tragedy.

Photography: Janet Baker

Lear’s Shadow

devised and performed by Colin Hurley

Jack Studio Theatre 13 – 24 February

Box Office https://brockleyjack.co.uk/jackstudio-entry/lears-shadow/

Additional voices: Tony Taylor and Madeleine Hyland

Reviewed by Heather Jeffery, Editor of London Pub Theatres Magazine