"Lear" is not an easy play to watch by any standard, or in any medium. Anyone who has ever wished that he or she had more money or property to leave to his or her children would do well to watch this one. Poor families get along better, believe me.
In a nutshell: An old king creates the worst living trust plan of all time (this was before estate planning attorneys). In a fit of fatigued grandiosity, he divests himself of his kingdom, disinherits his loyal daughter and entrusts himself to the care of his two greedy, grasping daughters. It's all downhill from there, with a "B" plot which also follows the theme of fillial vs. unfilial adult children. At the end, of course, there is a pile of bodies and a few stunned survivors.
What makes this Lear so special is the cast and the audience. It was filmed in front of a live New York audience, and so you can hear the audience laughing at the jokes and applauding a particuarly good speech. This gives the production a sense of immediacy.
In some ways, this production is sort of like watching an all-star baseball game - the players are so good, and it's a real treat to watch them. A very young and sexy Raoul Julia plays Edmund - the seductive bad guy, and you can really see how Lear's two wicked daughters would get into a cat fight over him. And as Edmund's good half-brother Edgar, Rene Auberjonois is wonderful. Edgar has to go from naif to feigned insanity to righteous warrior - quite a character arc, and Auberjonois does a fabulous job.
An unexpected favorite, though, is an actor I've never seen in anything else - Douglass Watson as the Earl of Kent. Kent is a loyal supporter of the King who risks death to follow Lear through all his trials and tribulations. I've always loved Kent for his loyalty - heck, I'd marry him if he wasn't fictional. This actor brings a tremendous amount of spirit and pepper to the part - I think it's the best Kent I've ever seen.
The female roles are generally quite well acted as well, although the actress who plays Regan (I think) has kind of an annoying squeaky voice - it sounds like she's swallowed helium. Too bad, as she's good in all other ways.
And what can you say about James Earl Jones? There isn't much I can add to the other reviews except to say that I would be very interested to see him do another production of this same play now, thirty years later. This Lear is quite physical, storming around the stage, frustrated by his own weakness - he can't even throw a chair in a fit of rage without falling down, but that doesn't stop him from trying. And Jones' voice is Jones' voice - is there anyone who wouldn't recognize his deep and mellow tones, even if only as Darth Vader? It is a wonderful treat to be able to hear Jones act this role. He brings a gravitas to the part which is necessary for it to be truly tragic. But then James Earl Jones can bring gravitas to a toilet paper commercial, that's why he's The Man.
All in all, of the many Lears I have endured, this is the strongest, and I wish there were more than five stars available.
