Lear's Daughters

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect upon entering the theater on Sunday night to see “Lear’s Daughters;” I have never read Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” nor have I ever been to a production on campus before. Though I have seen many Broadway productions, and Shakespeare adaptations before, there was a certain curiosity that was piqued upon entering the theater. Much to my belief, I was shocked, entertained, and confused by much of this performance of the Elaine Feinstein play. To be honest, I was a little scared by the actor playing the fool and his interaction with the audience. At the beginning, I was a little overwhelmed by this androgynous character, who I felt at times was a bit jarring, but towards the end I began to find his character more so provocative, than grating. I thought the performances of the daughters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia, were really great and I liked how the actresses defined each character as their own separate entity. I felt like each actress had a feel for, and understanding of each daughter, and it was very apparent in watching. I also thought the actress playing the Nanny did a great job. Although the actor playing King Lear barely spoke, I felt that his looming presence throughout the play definitely helped to evoke the sense of the monstrosities that he inflicted upon his daughters, both physically and emotionally. Towards the end of the play, I felt like things were finally making sense, and I feel that if I were to see it again I may have a better understanding, and not feel so confused. All and all, I thought it was interesting, but I am more interested in reading Shakespeare’s “King Lear” to fill in the missing pieces.