INTERVIEW: ‘Fool’-ing around with King Lear
Photo: Mark Peters stars as Lear, and Judy Krause stars as the Fool in The Fool’s Lear at IRT Theater. Photo courtesy of Christina Bliss / Provided by Audrey Lavine (press rep) with permission.
William Shakespeare’s King Lear is one of the most challenging and rewarding plays in the Bard’s repertory. The title character is often considered the pièce de résistance of any actor’s career. Glenda Jackson, for example, will remount her successful staging of the role on Broadway this spring.
The IRT Theater, an off-Broadway institution, is similarly interested in tackling the Bard’s famous work, but their take, featuring an adaptation by H. Clark Kee, draws new emphasis on the pivotal character of the Fool.
The Fool’s Lear runs Jan. 9-26 at the IRT Theater, located on Christopher Street in the Village. Kee directs the production, which is presented by the Oldest Boys Productions and Accidental Repertory Theater.
“[The production] began several years ago, growing out of a conversation with an old friend of mine,” Kee said in a recent phone interview. “He teaches theater and visual art and that sort of thing, but he’s also a fine classical actor. And he and I had worked together years ago, and we reconnected. He mentioned I think in passing what he had done on Lear, and I had … done some reading about fools throughout history.”
As the two were talking, Kee realized his friend was ready to play Lear, and Kee was interested in exploring the Fool character.
“We were just going to do a series of scenes with the Fool and Lear and have the students fill out some of the other characters,” he said. “[But] it kind of laid dormant for a while. The next phase of work on it was in John Strasberg’s professional workshop. This production is presented in association with John’s theater company, Accidental Repertory Theater, which I’ve been associated with almost since its inception, going back to 2007 I think. And he does a professional workshop on a series of Mondays, and I was working on it there with another actor.”
The work was enjoyable, and Kee came to understand the character of the Fool. Fast forward again, and another of Kee’s friends said he was ready to take on Lear. That got The Fool’s Lear back on track, and Kee realized he would be better suited as adaptor/director rather than as player of the Fool.
“All the words are Shakespeare’s,” he said. “We haven’t messed with that, but we have cut it quite a bit. And it does focus on the relationship between the Fool and Lear, but I think it will also tell in streamlined form the familiar Lear story where he divides his kingdom, banishes one of his daughters who doesn’t say nice things in his mind, banishes an old retainer who then comes back and continues to serve him anyway, and then the son of an ally of his plots against him.”
Many of the Fool’s scenes are staged downstage center, while some of the other action fades a bit to the background. This allows for a greater focus on this character.
Kee has also cut a considerable amount from the original text. A typical production of King Lear can run approximately four hours, while The Fool’s Lear will likely clock in at two hours.
“The traditional story is pretty much all there,” he said. “I think we hit the key plot points, but we try to present it in a sense through the Fool’s eyes.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Fool’s Lear will play Jan. 9-26 at the IRT Theater on Christopher Street in Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
