Just under a year ago, my friend A and I saw Sir Ian McKellen's King Lear, in Chichester, which was incredible. And so when I saw that they were reprising it in London this year, I decided to see it again. (In fairness, I'd go to see McKellen in pretty much anything he chose to do)
I was curious to see how the production would have been changed, to accommodate the change from Chichester's small, circular stage, to the Duke of York's larger, more traditional lay out, and how the cast changes would affect the production.
It is still very good. Lear is by turns terrifying and pathetic, as he descends into madness, and this production brings out the black humour in the play. Edmund's speech about the influence of astrology, for instance, and even Edgar and Gloucester's cliff-top scene both offer laughter as well as drama (although I could have done without the Fool's fart jokes!)
The play is, I believe, sold out, except for returns, but it was filmed and broadcast to cinemas, so you may have a chance to catch an 'encore' screening. I'd say if you can, do.
I've only seen one previous production of Coriolanus, three years ago, at the Donmar (review here), so I was interested when I saw the RSC were including it in this season.
I did enjoy this production, but I didn't find the interpretation of the text as interesting, or Coriolanus's character, as compelling as in the last production I saw. In particular, Coriolanus seemed to have little agency in his own life, and his final choice, to stop the assault on Rome in response to the pleas of his wife, mother and son, lost much of it's force, as he seemed not to realise the implications, seeming almost surprised that the Volscian's didn't accept his terms. I preferred a Coriolanus who recognised and accepted that his choice would have a terrible personal consequence. However, I think this was a choice by the director rather than a reflection on the actors involved, all of whim I felt did solid work.
I do find it interesting to see different versions of the same play, and to see how the same text can be interpreted, but in this case, despite strong performances from Sope Dirisu (Coriolanus) and Haydn Gwynne (Volumnia) in particular, I found this one little bit disappointing. I fairness, though we did a preview, it may be that the production will find itself as the run continues.
