This expansive production of King Lear proves compelling and expertly crafted. Coming in at a whopping three hours and thirty minutes it earns it’s runtime with the exploration and depth we get to see from character and conflicts.

King Lear is a play unequalled in its ability to show so many forms of pain in suffering with such beauty and poetry. We track the unravelling of Lear as he splits his kingdom between his daughters based on flattery rather than merit. This leads to conflicts personal, political and military. Meanwhile we also follow Edmund (the bastard child of the Gloucester) and his devious plotting to secure power at the expense of those around him.

The production design in sparce and atmospheric. From Merle Hensel’s set surrounded with metal chain curtain to Lee Curran’s lighting design that subtly transports us from barren land to courts. The music running through the show (composed by Max Perryment) and often played live by the cast on violins and piano adds to the sense of foreboding and pain which is central to the tragedy.

Danny Sapani in the titular role shows us Lear’s decent with complexity and masterful skill. From the confident politician through to the feeble old man. This is the Lear which we hoped to see from Branagh last year. He is supported by Clarke Peters playing the truth telling fool who lends an ethereal, otherworldly quality to the part leading us to wander if he was ever physically there at all or just a trick from the king’s unravelling mind.

All three daughters are played brilliantly, all speaking the verse naturally and trippingly. The conniving Regan and Goneril are captured perfectly by Faith Omole & Akiya Henry. And the honourable Cordelia, played by Gloria Obianyo, is a paragon of love and honesty which makes the vocal song of the character heartbreaking.

Only the Mad Tom scenes feel at time’s forced but Michael Gould’s Gloucester carries us through his pain and reuniting with his expatriated son. Fra Fee’s Edmund is instrumental in Gloucester and Edgar’s fall.

The play is transported to the semi-present day under Yaël Farber’s direction feels natural and helps us immediately buy into the world before us. The interactions, fights and follies of the doomed characters are all woven together in a way that fully justifies the run time. The fight direction from Kate Waters feels scarily real and we genuinely fear and care for the gruesome fates of those afore us with every grapple and thrust.

Any fan of King Lear should make an effort to see this production before it closes. This is a perfect example of how to tackle the raw pain of the play.

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