Review By Sydney Gregson, Front Row Reviewers
I was beyond impressed with the simplicity and quality of Creekside Theater Fest’s rendition of King Lear in Cedar Hills. Written by William Shakespeare, this tragedy follows King Lear as he leaves his kingdom to his three daughters. However, with banishing one daughter, and the cunning of the others, this play ends as most Shakespearean tragedies do, with the death of almost everyone, but not before they all go absolutely mad.
King Lear is the first show ever to be performed at the new Heritage Park Amphitheater in Cedar Hills, and it is the perfect background for the performance. The crowd is able to sit in chairs or on blankets all over the grass and parts of the concrete, and the intimacy of the area allows the actors to come up close to the audience, making us feel even more involved in the story. Characters are entering and exiting all over the amphitheater (including the creek running through!) adding complexity to the simple set designed by Brian Hadfield. I really appreciated how the director (Jason Purdie) had an eye for the space and let the actors shine within it.
Director Jason Purdie
King Lear boldly begins by saying ”nothing will come of nothing” and this production is definitely not nothing. The actors in the show craft one of the best Shakespeare performances I have ever seen. The words felt familiar to the actors and you can tell the performers are deeply familiar with the characters and the complex dynamics in the story. King, or in this case and gender bent Queen, Lear (Anadee Morgan) gives a dynamic performance as she leads the audience through her character’s descent into madness, atonement, and eventual death. Her emotions are heartfelt and palpable as we saw her go through rage, love, laughter, sorrow, and confusion. Her eventual reunion with daughter Cordelia (Alaina Hall) is a beautifully tender moment that touched my heart and showcases Hall’s ability to keep the audience invested.
Goneril (Jeanelle Huff) and Regan (Joleah Long) show exceptional cunning and often I felt myself both in awe and a little afraid of them, exactly as it should be. Their dynamics with their husbands, Albany (Brendan Hanks) and Cornwall (Alex Glover) respectively, display a common theme throughout the play; how some continue to seek power at the expense of others, and while others eventually come to realize a different response altogether. Gloucester (Amber Heinrich) is another gender-bent role in this production, and it adds another beautiful layer to the story, as there are new dynamics at play between her and her sons Edmund (Matthew Delafuente) and Edgar (Kristian Huff). Her performance is truly eye-opening as you realize throughout the show that she is capable of great bravery and eventually finds her tender reunion with her son. Meanwhile, Delafuente and Huff give passionate performances. Huff often uses all available spaces in the amphitheater and takes the audience on a journey of self discovery and forgiveness. From the beginning of King Lear, Delafuente gives a gut-wrenching soliloquy, looking inside himself as an illegitimate son. I felt tender toward him at times, and was fascinated to watch as he schemes and plots and eventually solidifies himself as a villain.
Kent (Avery Peterson), the last of Creekside’s gender-swapped castings, spends most of the play disguised. However, she did not disguise her ability to speak directly and stir up some trouble. I admired her wit and charm as she battles with the ever hilarious Oswald (Jason Hackney). Hackney, too, has a flair for the dramatic as his character often over exaggerates how dire his circumstances are. I often found myself laughing out loud as he flung both insults and himself all over the stage in an impressive show of commitment to both his character and the story. This dedication from all the actors gives room for the Fool (Josh C. Bauer) to be authentic, silly, and uniquely wise, as he walks Queen Lear through her struggles, proving himself loyal. As I began to listen to the fool’s words beneath the singing, dancing, and joking, Bauer truly proves that “jesters do oft prove prophets”.
While the sets, costuming (Jen Christensen), and music (Maren Hansen) are all minimalistic, they leave an impact and let each character truly shine. No character is overwhelmed by a costuming choice, or drowned out by lighting and sound (Zac Bringhurst), tech (Miles Brown) or the stage itself (Julien Doria). Each piece of this show is perfectly crafted so the cast can tell a story of betrayal, neglect, love, and forgiveness.
For only $15 a ticket, audience members of all ages can experience this beautiful story. There is a little bit of blood, a couple intense fight scenes, and overall the difficult language of the time, which may be hard for smaller children, but overall I believe this is still a must see for (most) members of the family. An overall theme of King Lear is human connection, and this play connected the audience to it, leaving us feeling as changed as the characters themselves.
Creekside Teacher Fest presents King Lear by William Shakespeare.
Heritage Park Amphitheater, 4425 W Cedar Hills Dr, Cedar Hills, UT 84062
June 17,19-20,25,27,29, 2024 8:00 PM
Tickets: $15
Contact 801-899-5135
King Lear promotional video
https://www.creeksidetheatrefest.org
Creekside Theater Fest Facebook Page
Photos by Jen Christensen.
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