Review: King Lear

Review: King Lear  | Tetra Lounge | Denver, CO | Curtain Up! | Gina Robertson

Daniel Mothershed as King Lear & the Fool; Photo Credit: Jermaine Amado

Step right up, folks, and get your rolling papers ready for a very “mile high” production of King Lear at Tetra Private Lounge & Garden in Denver. Previously performed without smoke at Three Leaches in April, this outdoor pot-friendly venue is a good match for a circus-themed re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic dramatic tragedy.

Director Clove Love “explores the duality of man” and turns the drama into a comedy, “with actors playing two characters each; one costumed on either side of their body and face.” The wild circus costumes are split in half so that the actors stand facing sideways to indicate which character they’re currently inhabiting. It takes a minute to catch on to this storytelling technique because the staging is a bit chaotic, but once it’s understood, it works well.

King Lear (Daniel Mothershed) is the only character, doubled as the Fool, who speaks to himself as another character, highlighting his descent into madness. The Fool comes out when Lear faces perplexing contradiction and when he knows that his choices may lead to chaos and ruin. You may not be surprised to learn that his choices will, indeed, lead to chaos and ruin, as often happens in the world of Shakespeare.

As described in the excellent synopsis included in the program, King Lear is the story of a proud old patriarch with three daughters among whom he wishes to divide his kingdom. He arrogantly demands that they flatter him to determine who will receive the better allotment. Two of the girls obligingly shower him with love and praise, but the third daughter Cordelia tells him plainly and sensibly that she loves him as much as she should while refusing to feed his ego with false praise. In a petulant fit, he cuts her off and gives the kingdom to the two flattering daughters and their husbands, giving up his own power in the act and ensuring his own downfall as civil war is sure to follow. The two girls who professed such love suddenly lose all patience and respect for him, provoking him to war and to lose his mind with impotent fury.

L to R: Erin Banthoff, Daniel Mothershed, and Andrea Merida; Photo Credit: Jermaine Amado

Meanwhile, the Earl of Gloucester similarly puts faith in a deceitful heir when his illegitimate son Edmund convinces him to turn against his legitimate son Edgar. He too will live to regret his mistake as the ensuing action is violent and disfiguring for him.

In this production, there’s a good deal of audience participation, including a smoking game in which everyone is invited to toke! anytime the “Rowdy Crowdy” sign shows up, when someone says “highness” or talks to a mirror, and when Gloucester mentions his eyes. At one point, when the crowdy is being particularly rowdy, Mothershed encourages the cheering with, “More of that, less of this!” in reference to his daughter’s insolence.

The program and study guide by dramaturg Alison Talvaccio provide a visually stunning bio spread of the cast, a synopsis of the play and its history, a diagram of relationships between characters, and the rules for the smoking game.

As noted, the outdoor garden area of Tetra Lounge is a lovely spot to sit and enjoy a circus, or a bit of Shakespeare, and a joint. Seating is comfortable. Even after dark, lighting designer Cheri Bauman keeps the focus on the stage action. The vibe is not spoiled by a few drops of rain or the loud urban traffic sounds coming from the street nearby, especially when these natural elements fall perfectly timed with Lear’s wandering into a raging storm.

Mothershed and Adrianna DelPercio as Cordelia carry the emotional load of the play, both managing to pull something real from their hearts in the midst of what is mostly just silly playing around, slap fighting and pot jokes. As Gloucester, DelPercio is more clownish than tragic, but manages to portray some irony in being led around, helpless and blind.

The rest of the cast are fully committed to this zany rendering. The beautiful Andrea Merida is fierce as the complaining Goneril and the cunning Edmund. Emogene Lovey as Burgundy and Cornwall has a wide, contagious smile as they cast about looking for a way to light their spliff.

L to R; Ayden Armstrong, Aidan Blank, Erin Banthoff, Hiko Addison, Daniel Mothershed, Kryssi Jeaux Miller, Andrea Merida, Drake Simon, Adrianna DelPercio, Jaylin Wiese; Photo Credit: Jermaine Amado

There are many comic moments that stand out, such as Kent (Ayden Armstrong) trying to get the paper from Edmund, “Let’s see…let’s see… LET’S SEE!” Armstrong is also the costume designer, who faces a particular challenge with the split-character costumes cut in half and sewn together.

Erin Banthoff is stylish as Regan, with a flower in her hair. She descends quickly into ruthless cruelty once she has power. As Edgar she is delightfully mad as she smears makeup on her face and alters her costume to become Poor Tom.

Overall, the effect of this production feels not ideal for Shakespeare’s bleakest tragedy. The chaotic staging, the “rowdy crowdy” smoking game, the lack of set and props, the characters’ preoccupation with snatching joints from one another and lighting them, blowing smoke and choking on a harsh lung full—all of it distracts from what is typically a powerful story imbued with great meaning and thoughtful lessons about family dynamics and growing old.

The circus theme is a clever idea and could give us something in exchange for the loss of depth, but the theme never comes through in any way beyond the clown-like costumes, face paint, and the characters initially introducing themselves as circus performers. We never see Lear the Ringmaster conducting the circus, nor the lion tamer seeming to tame any lions, nor the tightrope walker balancing dangerously on a metaphorical wire. Even Burgundy the Snake Oil Salesman doesn’t really come off as a con artist trying to sell something, he’s just arrogant.

With many beautiful creative elements and a dedicated cast, this production is worth seeing, especially for those who enjoy passing around a joint, but a story as powerful as this wants to be thought about on some level after it is witnessed.