This vicious and chilling new version of King Lear takes on a fresh and original, perspective on the tragic tale
Tang Shu-Wing Theatre Studio’s European premier of King Lear, directed by Shu-Wing Tang, takes London by storm with this fascinating and terrifying interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s most renowned plays.
The premier began with an eerie silence of the cast standing on stage altogether. With just the art of non-verbal theatre of gesture at hand, there were high expectations of delivery and understanding. Albeit, an understanding of Shakespeare’s King Lear is an absolute must, without that knowledge coming into the theatre, all meaning would be lost for those with no information on the original story.
Luckily, the delivery was there, the cast carried out a well-polished rendition of King Lear which conveyed the madness of the plot excellently. All actors held themselves extremely well, falling into their roles with precision and confidence, particularly Peggy Chow, as Regan, Ting-kwan Lau, as Goneril and Cassandra Tang as Fool/ Cordelia. Both Regan and Goneril’s relationship with each other and others is one of a strange nature, which was excelled in this performance massively, at times, scaring me. Their walks, smiles and turning of heads had a petrifying and evil quality, raising all tension. This was a feeling I carried with me throughout the drama. For the duration of the performance, it was silent, which with obvious thought, made screams, cries and echoes, delivered by the cast, that little bit more spine-chilling.
The nature of the performance felt uncanny, which was definitely a choice, this may have reflected the story and Shakespeare’s work, showing the peculiar habitus of King Lear, the bizarre actions of his characters and the tragic and undeniable fate of King Lear and Cordelia.
The performance left me questioning how they even began this process, of devising and creating with such precision, nailing all of the story beats and intricate details that it needs serve Shakespeare’s work with justice, which it clearly did. Shu-wing Tang’s clever, vicious and chilling new version of King Lear takes on a fresh and original, perspective on the tragic tale, all curated through gesture, movement and expression with phenomenal talent and wonderful dexterity which should unquestionably be watched by all.