RSC First Encounters: King Lear

When I was at school, any mention of Shakespeare was often met with a wave of groans from my classmates. People have this misconception that his work is old and boring, but The Royal Shakespeare Company have been proving them wrong since their official formation in 1959. One way they do this is through their First Encounters project, which aims to create productions of Shakespeare's plays that remain true to the source material while being accessible and entertaining to new audiences. Their current production takes King Lear across the country and introduces it to a whole new generation.

Justine Themen's adaptation transforms the epic tragedy into a 90-minute story by trimming dialogue and combining or omitting certain characters to make it more digestible for new eyes. Despite this, the production remains faithful to the story while succeeding in winning over new fans. Considering the tone and themes of this work, the brevity helps ensure audiences remain engaged throughout the runtime. With the script remaining true to the original, much of the light-heartedness comes from the talented cast of players who all multi-role to bring the tale to life. Whether it is everyone hesitating to don the tabard that transforms them into Oswald or their expressive asides, they succeed in the difficult challenge of keeping an audience of schoolchildren entertained. The most inventive section of the play is also the most humorous, as Deven Modha’s Edgar workshops his Poor Tom persona with references to frappuccinos and playful audience interaction.