Lear
★★★★★ Magnificent
Traverse: Thurs 5 – Sat 7 June 2025
Review by Hugh Simpson
Lear by Ramesh Meyyappan at the Traverse is a stunning piece of work – raw and delicate, disciplined and chaotic, frightening and beautiful.
From Raw Material (in association with the National Theatre of Scotland and originally commissioned by Singapore National Festival of Arts), Meyyappan’s reworking of King Lear jettisons most of the plot and all of the dialogue.
Nicole Cooper, Draya Maria, Ramesh Meyyappan and Amy Kennedy. Pic Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
This visual and physical theatre version concentrates on the relationship between Lear and his daughters.
Lear (Meyyappan) is a soldier returning from war, unable to hear, apparently with PTSD, and – later – succumbing to dementia. His daughters Goneril (Nicole Cooper), Regan (Amy Kennedy) and Cordelia (Draya Maria) attempt to care for him, but are subject to his anger and loss of control.
perfectly judged
Meyyappan’s writing and Orla O’Loughlin’s direction, together with outstanding performances, have created a production that has its own visual language and is beautifully drilled and creatively choreographed, dazzling in its scope and profound in its emotional impact.
Meyyappan’s Lear is simultaneously frightening and sympathetic, prone to sudden rages, but also moments of child-like wonder. He is his own Fool, which leads to some out-and-out clowning. This, like everything else Meyyappan does here, is perfectly judged.
Ramesh Meyyappan with Amy Kennedy, Nicole Cooper and Draya Maria. Pic Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
We are never sure, as Lear’s understanding fractures, if his paranoia is justified. Are his daughters helping him with his medication, or trying to keep him drugged? Are they helping him, or helping themselves to their inheritance?
This ambiguity only lends more power to a towering performance, controlled and expressive; there is one moment where he seems to age years in a matter of seconds.
extreme tenderness
The portrayals of the daughters are every bit as good, with Cooper, Kennedy and Maria (barefoot and in colour-coded costume) immediately establishing distinct personalities as well as working together immaculately. Once again, there is extreme tenderness here, as well as fear and frustration.
Such contrasts are echoed by David Paul Jones’s evocative score; sometimes with plangent piano or dulcimer-like chimes, at other times fizzling out into static.
Ramesh Meyyappan with Draya Maria, Amy Kennedy and Nicole Cooper. Pic Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
Meanwhile, Anna Orton’s design and Derek Anderson’s lighting enhance the production’s immediacy. A circle of sandbags and lights provides an acting space that seems small, almost claustrophobic but is inventively used, often with Lear at the centre and the daughters around the outside.
The moment where Lear makes snow angels in what appears to be a pile of ashes crystallises the production’s originality and use of contradictory imagery to produce a meaningful and startling effect.
its impact is perfectly clear
Anyone concerned about the lack of dialogue, or unfamiliarity with King Lear, need not worry, as its impact is perfectly clear. The combination of the domestic and the political in Shakespeare’s original is echoed here – the portrayal of power, family, love, anger, betrayal and mental disintegration will speak to everyone in a different way.
Over the years there have been many re-workings, or plays ‘inspired’ by King Lear, but recently the stream seems to have become endless, with it taking over from Macbeth as the most popular Shakespeare to muck around with. Some of those re-workings, of course, forge their own identity, like Tim Crouch’s astonishing Truth’s a Dog Must to Kennel.
Now, Meyyappan’s Lear must also be considered as a triumph in its own right.
Running time: One hour (no interval)
Traverse Theatre, 10 Cambridge St, EH1 2ED
Thursday 5 – Saturday 7 June 2025
Evenings at 7.30 pm; Matinee Sat 2.30 pm
Information and tickets: Book here.
Ramesh Meyyappan with Amy Kennedy, Draya Maria and Nicole Cooper. Pic Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
ENDS
