King Lear at Gunston Arts Center

King Lear

Gunston Arts Center
2700 S. Lang Street Arlington

An epic parent-child drama and then some. Shakespeare's greatest tragedy begins as fairy tale ("Once upon a time there was an old king who had three daughters...") and ends in nightmare-of homelessness, alienation, family strife, and civil war.

Thru - Jun 25, 2017

Thursdays: 7:30pm

Fridays: 7:30pm

Saturdays: 2:00pm & 7:30pm

Sundays: 2:00pm

Box Office: 703-228-1850

wscavantbard.org/20162017-season/king-lear/

King Lear Reviews

Average Rating based on 6 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended

"...You'd say Foucheux is every inch a king, if it ever seemed this ruler had a realm. The too-earthy show's design of colored sand below and tattered fabric above creates a smudged, static look that glumly announces ruin and sticks with it. Director W. Thompson Prewitt's actors spend distracting amounts of time on the gritty floor inside the egg-shaped circle confining the action (seating is in the round, just a couple rows deep). Visually and sometimes even emotionally, this is an unsatisfyingly grounded "Lear.""

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- Nelson Pressley

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

"...There is nothing commonplace about Avant Bard's King Lear. It is ambitious and illuminating. This production made my heart ache as the production unfolded. It is memorable for many reasons starting with Rick Foucheux's mind-boggling performance as a man named Lear, on the verge of and then succumbing to a breakdown. Avant Bard's King Lear is also a deep dive into the wreckage of a family and country undone by false loyalty, and fake genuflection and arrogance, as recently penned by Book World's Ron Charles. Perhaps Charles should see Avant Bard's production."

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- David Siegel

MetroWeekly - Recommended

"...`All that said, their production of King Lear is not a particularly edgy or elaborate reinterpretation. Jonathan Dahm Robertson's sets are simple and symbolic, suggesting a cold and barren world, but not much more as to how its people live. And while Elizabeth Ennis' costumes appear more-or-less modern, they deliver status, not statements. They are present, but they are lower in key. The message is clear: for director Tom Prewitt, the focus is on the intimacy of the treatment. This is Lear up close and personal."

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- Kate Wingfield

MD Theatre Guide - Recommended

"...The central players are supported by an excellent cast. Christopher Henley is phenomenal as the Fool, whose physical characterization of the innocent but wise companion has all the precision of a dancer. Cam Magee is both elegant and commanding as Gloucester; the decision to cast a woman in the role works very well here, as Magee brings a measured and maternal energy to the role. It also adds an interesting texture to the relationship with the character's illegitimate and resentful son, Edmund, played with exhilarating vitriol by Dylan Morrison Myers. His bitter monologues are some of the highlights of the first half."

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- Norah Dick

DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended

"...WSC Avant Bard's production is full of illuminating touches which makes this play both easier to understand and more important. Lear's descent into madness seems to be a quick one, but is easier to understand if you assume, as Foucheux told me in this interview, that "he was always destined to be King...And he really considered himself a divine King." When Lear rages, observe the number of times he glances upward. He is furious at Goneril and Regan, to be sure, but his most personal anger is directed at God. I'm Your boy, he seems to be saying. Why are You doing this to me?"

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- Tim Treanor

BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended

"...And now, I return to my introductory anecdote, about my single line in a production of KING LEAR nearly 30 years ago. I, as a young actor, made a promise to a seasoned thespian to never miss an entrance. This KING LEAR is about an exit, Rick Foucheux's possible farewell to the stage. I urge you not to miss your entrance for this powerful and very personal production."

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- Jeffrey Walker

King Lear Photo Gallery

King Lear at Gunston Arts Center

King Lear

King Lear Reviews

Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

MetroWeekly - Recommended

MD Theatre Guide - Recommended

DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended

BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended

King Lear Photo Gallery

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