Produced by Phil Michaelsen '02 and Thandi Parris '01

Loeb Experimental Theatre

May 11-13

STORY: One of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies, King Lear is, as Egan puts it, pretty hard to summarize. But let's try--in a nutshell, Lear foolishly punishes his good daughter (Cordelia) for her honesty and gives his kingdom over to his bad daughters Goneril and Regan. Lear's daughters throw him out, he then goes slightly wonky, and Cordelia tries to win his kingdom back for him. In a very bloody and tragic ending, in Lear's famous anguished lines, "Never, never, never, never, never." In Egan's interpretation, this becomes a story about a painful process of stripping away lies to discover the truth.

BUZZ: Let's face it--interpreting Shakespeare today is never an easy task. Much to Egan's credit, he is choosing to take the audience right into the heart of Lear, focusing more on the complex, nuanced relationships between the characters and the themes of identity and reconciliation. But lest you think this is just a play with ten men in tights speaking in phony British accents, think again. Egan boldly incorporates some blood pumping physical theater and elaborate uses of dance and movement to break down the physical barriers of the stage. The buzz for Lear is very good indeed.

THE BOY WHO BECAME A TWITTERING MACHINE

By Shawn Feeney '99

Directed by Shawn Feeney

Produced by Karin Akre

Loeb Experimental Theater

May 14-17