"Lear's Daughters"

I really didn’t know what to expect going in to watch “Lear’s Daughters”. I have read “King Lear” before and assumed that the play would take that story and offer a further in-depth look at his daughters. This however was not the case. It wasn’t until after the play that I realized Lear’s Daughters was almost a prequel to “King Lear”. My initial assumption caused me to be a little confused throughout the play but towards the end everything began to make sense. I found it very interesting that the King himself never speaks in the play but just his presence alone holds with such a heavy weight. Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia are locked in their rooms and in a way forced to remain childlike for their father. It’s through their memories and exposure of Nanny’s fantasies that they reveal the true side to King Lear- a man consumed by his sexual desires and need to have a son. Each daughter, due to her birth order, reacts in a different way; that was the most interesting part. The production was well done and each performer did an outstanding job. The androgynous fool reminded me of The Joker in Batman. He was just so dark and cynical almost, very opposite of Shakespeare’s portrayal of fools. The end with the Nanny leaving, left such a strong impression since I didn’t know what to make of her confession of Cordelia. That story would have made for another interesting play if Nanny was telling the truth since she is known for telling the daughters and the fool fairy tales.