KING LEAR at Riverside Studios

★★★★

“a stunning sight that feeds our imaginations”

The air is thick with silence. And darkness. As we hold our breath, our eyes slowly adjust while a blanket of white light spreads across the back wall like an uncertain dawn. Silhouettes appear like ghosts on polaroid. A crack of sound. Not a word is spoken. King Lear: a fallen angel with bleached hair, is flanked by the black-clad figures of Goneril and Regan. Gestures alone reveal the deception of their false declarations of love. Cordelia watches from the side, until Lear grabs the back of her hair. We realise the silence has been replaced by an electronic drone, pulsing within its crescendo. Still, not a word is spoken. We are in a world of silent screams. A visual tableau long before the invention of language. A modern world, yet one that is as timeless as Shakespeare. We are in Tang Shu-wing’s world.

Shu-wing’s all female production of “King Lear” premiered in Hong Kong in 2021 and was performed in Shanghai two years later, before coming to Riverside Studios for its UK premiere. The director’s style – ‘nonverbal theatre of gesture’ – is the star of the show. Whether the West London audiences are ready for this or not is a moot point. The boldness of the production will keep audiences transfixed. Minimalist and stylised it reduces Shakespeare’s tragedy into ninety minutes of silent physical drama.

Whilst the emotions are sharply conveyed, it is strongly advisable to be familiar with the original text. Otherwise, one might drift, pulled by the urge to seek another distraction in our thoughts. Occasionally it feels like just one part of a wider exhibition. An installation that we would like to wander into and out of. And we wonder: is it a work of art? Is it dance? Is it mime? Or all the above? Is it classical? Is it sci-fi? Jade Leung’s costume design is chic and modern while Billy Ng’s music is a futuristic canopy layered onto Anthony Yeung’s contemporary soundscape. Tsz-yan Yeung’s lighting is as much a narrator of the story as the performer’s slick movement, gestures and expressions. Shadows are cast, then sliced away by light: a single shaft like the blade of a knife, or a blood red flood of unease, tension and murderous intent.

It is a stunning sight that feeds our imaginations but also allows it to create its own subplots. We can grasp the narrative of the principal roles while the supporting players add neither confusion nor substance. Led by Cecilia Yip as Lear, the dynamic cast are fearless, forceful yet smooth as silk. Controlled, yet as fluid as the genders portrayed. There are no boundaries to cross here. No such thing as men or women. Just characters whose movements speak louder than words. The emotion comes to the fore. Cassandra Tang excels in the role of Cordelia, doubling as the Fool. Lindzay Chan’s Gloucester is a tragic figure, not just wordless but sightless, whose outstretched limbs and bloodied eyes convey the noiseless agony loud and clear. But here is no real lead player. Like gender, individuality is merged into an ensemble that moves as one.

And still not a word is spoken. As the final tragedy litters the stage, the figures morph back into their silhouettes. And the air is thick with silence once more. But only briefly. We hold our breath again, before the applause. We are not entirely sure what we have just witnessed, but we know our hearts have been touched. Evocative and original, Tang Shu-wing’s “King Lear” is challenging but is a theatrical dare that should not be resisted.

KING LEAR at Riverside Studios

Reviewed on 3rd May 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Tik Hang Cedric Yip

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THIS IS MEMORIAL DEVICE | ★★★★ | April 2024

ARTIFICIALLY YOURS | ★★★ | April 2024

ALAN TURING – A MUSICAL BIOGRAPHY | ★★ | January 2024

ULSTER AMERICAN | ★★★★★ | December 2023

OTHELLO | ★★★★ | October 2023

FLOWERS FOR MRS HARRIS | ★★★★ | October 2023

RUN TO THE NUNS – THE MUSICAL | ★★★★ | July 2023

THE SUN WILL RISE | ★★★ | July 2023

TARANTINO LIVE: FOX FORCE FIVE & THE TYRANNY OF EVIL MEN | ★★★★★ | June 2023

KILLING THE CAT | ★★ | March 2023

KING LEAR

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★★★★★

“a timeless and emotive piece of theatre, perfectly silly and sensitive”

This is a 10 year anniversary revival of a beautiful piece that has lost none of its composure. Captain Amazing is a tour de force of storytelling, with Mark Weinman nimbly navigating over 10 different characters across the piece. His range is extraordinary, and the show would be worth seeing just for this performance.

Each character is remarkably well executed with Weinman using his full physicality, and the bright red cape he dons throughout, to embody everyone from a downtrodden DIY sales assistant (also called Mark), to his little girl Emily, to an estate agent for superheroes. This means that though there are plenty of laugh out loud physical comedy skits, the emotional weight of the final third lands exactly where it needs to.

The plot follows a slightly hapless man through a relationship, accidental parenthood, and the early years of developing a relationship with his daughter. Interspersed between this story are vignettes featuring Captain Amazing, a superhero who can fly and shoot lasers from his eyes. These are initially the source of much of the comedy in the piece; the tumble drier ruining a superhero costume was a highlight. But the fooling around also gives way to some bigger questions, even from the dastardly Evil Man who asks how on earth he is meant to be good if everyone expects him to be evil.

Alistair McDowall’s accomplished script then leads the audience through the worst loss imaginable. This is sensitively and simply done, focussing on Mark and Emily’s connection throughout a huge challenge.

Mark’s navigation through grief is then contrasted with superhero scenes of Captain Amazing struggling to find time to talk with other superhero mates. Both Mark and Captain Amazing start to unravel in a spiral of pain through the sense of isolation and disconnection. However, the piece ends with a chink of hope, with the audience left on an uplifting note without being mawkish.

Designer Georgia de Grey has done an incredible job with the deceptively simple set. A backdrop provides the exaggerated perspective of a room, and is covered in what looks like plain white papier mache. It becomes a canvass for childish comic book illustrations which punctuate Weinman’s performance, leaving an indelible record of his memory on stage. Lighting (carefully used by Will Monks) then is dialled up to increase and decrease the contrast during the superhero scenes, but never entirely fades away, especially as the lines get blurred between fantasy and reality in the denouement.

With only one man and one red chair on stage, Director Clive Judd creates hugely engaging worlds in both reality and the fantasy realm, which for the fantastical subject matter are also instantly recognisable. For a piece that ultimately navigates bereavement, Captain Amazing also revels in joy and escapism. I can see why it already has a ten year history. This is a timeless and emotive piece of theatre, perfectly silly and sensitive.

KING LEAR at Riverside Studios

★★★★

“a stunning sight that feeds our imaginations”

KING LEAR at Riverside Studios

Reviewed on 3rd May 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Tik Hang Cedric Yip

Previously reviewed at this venue:

KING LEAR

KING LEAR

CAPTAIN AMAZING at Southwark Playhouse Borough

★★★★★

“a timeless and emotive piece of theatre, perfectly silly and sensitive”

CAPTAIN AMAZING at Southwark Playhouse Borough

Reviewed on 2nd May 2024

by Rosie Thomas

Photography by Ali Wright

Previously reviewed at this venue:

CAPTAIN AMAZING

CAPTAIN AMAZING