From King Lear to The Seagull
Newstalk ZB reporter Jacqui Stanford writes of watching Sir Ian McKellen in King Lear and The Seagull
20 August 2007
King Lear and The Seagull Aotea Centre, Auckland August 18 & 19 Reviewed by Jacqui Stanford
On Saturday night Sir Ian McKellen entered the stage at Auckland's ASB Theatre as a regal king draped in ceremonial costume. He left as a broken man, in an unequivocal and heart rendering performance as King Lear, a monarch whose course of suffering is sparked by his blind, proud affection for his three daughters. From the elaborate opening scene, McKellen and his velvet-gravel voice carry the audience through Lear's journey of sadness and disbelief at the betrayal of his two eldest daughters, through the haze of madness, to new hope in his youngest child, then down to the deep pit of eventual despair. It was a gripping ride.
Far from being left in the shadow of McKellen's greatness, the star-studded Royal Shakespeare Company cast kept pace with him deftly. Jonathan Hyde and William Gaunt were charismatic as the loyal Earls of Kent and Gloucester, while Ben Meyjes was a gem as Gloucester's unfortunate yet heroic son Edgar and the hilarious Sylvester McCoy was the perfect Fool. The villains were also powerful - particularly Monica Dolan's portrayal of Regan's chilling enjoyment as Gloucester's eyes were ripped from their sockets, in punishment for his loyalty to the king.
But the image of Ian McKellen murmuring, dripping and shivering in despair and lost hope as he is lashed by a storm, with live music bursting upwards from musicians under the stage and lights flashing with thunder, is an image that will stay with me for some time to come. And it is bound to stay with all those at the performance given the rousing standing ovation he received at its culmination.
Half an hour after leaving the stage and King Lear behind for the night, McKellen emerged at the after party with his hair brushed back, looking relaxed and bedraggled in trackpants and a hooded sweatshirt. He makes a gracious opening night speech, then allows himself to be photographed with fans and stops to accept compliments at every turn with good humour.
Then it is Sunday night and McKellen is the retired government-employee Sorin, a melodramatic source of comic relief in Chekhov's The Seagull. You would hardly know it was the same man. This time his hair sits wild and fluffy, but he is dressed immaculately. Sorin is in many ways a hopeless character - retired, stuck living in his country estate, questioning his life and all his regrets - never having been married or been a writer as he always hoped to. But Sorin's struggles with his age and failing health and masked as he gathers laughs with witty retorts or by accidentally falling asleep and snoring at inappropriate points. McKellen fades gently in and out of the limelight in The Seagull. Its radiance is quickly by Frances Barber in her role as the volatile actress and mother Arkadina. Her throaty voice claims most of the attention both within the play and from the audience from the moment she enters till her final scream.
The more subtle tragedy of the tangle of unrequited love and easy laughs in The Seagull are a relief compared to the all-out drama from Saturday night. It is a strong show, but with most of the key drama taking place offstage and relayed by characters, it feels like a gentle comedown from the full-frontal catastrophe of the night before.
If you have secured a ticket to the final week of the Royal Shakespeare Company's New Zealand sold-out season of King Lear, hold it tight. It is possibly the most exquisite thing you will see on a New Zealand stage this year, or for some time to come. However do not despair, The Seagull is not too far behind.
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