|
About 'King Lear'
This recording made at Joseph Papp's legendary open air New York
Shakespeare Festival, in Central Park, captures magnificent
performances from James Earl Jones, the late Raul Julia, and a cast
that includes Paul Sorvino, Ellen Holly, Rosalind Cash and Lee
Chamberlin.
SYNOPSIS
LEAR the ageing king of Britain, decides to step down from the throne and
divide his kingdom evenly among his three daughters. First, however, he
puts his daughters through a test, asking each to tell him how much she
loves him. Goneril and Regan, Lear's older daughters, give their father flattering answers. But Cordelia, Lear's youngest and favourite daughter, remains silent, saying that she has no words to describe how much she loves her father. Lear flies into a rage and disowns Cordelia. The king of France, who has courted Cordelia, says that he still wants marry her even without her land, and she accompanies him to France without her father's blessing.
Lear quickly learns that he made a bad decision. Goneril and Regan
swiftly begin to undermine the little authority that Lear still holds.
Unable to believe that his beloved daughters are betraying him, Lear
slowly goes insane. He flees his daughters' houses to wander on a heath
during a great thunderstorm, accompanied by his Fool and by Kent, a loyal nobleman in disguise.
Meanwhile, an elderly nobleman named Gloucester also experiences family problems. His illegitimate son, Edmund, tricks him into believing that his legitimate son, Edgar, is trying to kill him. Fleeing the manhunt that his father has set for him, Edgar disguises himself as a crazy beggar and calls himself "Poor Tom." Like Lear, he heads out onto the heath.
When the loyal Gloucester realizes that Lear's daughters have turned
against their father, he decides to help Lear in spite of the danger.
Regan and her husband, Cornwall, discover him helping Lear, accuse him of treason, blind him, and turn him out to wander the countryside. He ends up being led by his disguised son, Edgar, toward the city of Dover, where Lear has also been brought.
In Dover, a French army lands as part of an invasion led by Cordelia in an effort to save her father. Edmund apparently becomes romantically entangled with both Regan and Goneril, whose husband, Albany, is increasingly sympathetic to Lear's cause. Goneril and Edmund conspire to kill Albany.
The despairing Gloucester tries to commit suicide, but Edgar saves him
by pulling the strange trick of leading him off an imaginary cliff.
Meanwhile, the English troops reach Dover, and the English, led by
Edmund, defeat the Cordelia-led French. Lear and Cordelia are captured.
In the climactic scene, Edgar duels with and kills Edmund; we learn of
the death of Gloucester; Goneril poisons Regan out of jealousy over
Edmund and then kills herself when her treachery is revealed to Albany;
Edmund's betrayal of Cordelia leads to her needless execution in
prison; and Lear finally dies out of grief at Cordelia's passing.
Albany, Edgar, and the elderly Kent are left to take care of the
country under a cloud of sorrow and regret.
CAST
(In Speaking Order)
Kent - Douglass Watson
Gloucester - Paul Sorvino
Edmund - Raul Julia
King Lear - James Earl Jones
Goneril - Rosalind Cash
Cordelia - Lee Chamberlin
Regan - Ellen Holly
Albany - Robert Stattel
Cornwall - Robert Lanchester
Burgundy - Louis Quinones
France - Jean-Pierre Stewart
Edgar - Rene Auberjonois
Oswald - Frederick Coffin
Fool - Tom Aldredge
Gentleman - George Dzundza
Curan - John R.Tobinski
First Servant to Cornwall - J.W. Harper
Servants to Cornwall - Anthony Chisholm, Frank Seales
Old Man - Charles Pegues
Messenger - Redvers Jeanmarie
Doctor - William Hart
Messenger - Gregory Mosher
Captain - Frankie Faison
Herald - George Addison
Gentleman - James West III
Attendants - Jose Machado, Simpson Markson, Kevin Maung, John W. Salat
© Heritage Theatre Ltd.
|
