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Lear at the Shakespeare Theater in DC

June 30, 2009 by Steve Mentz Leave a Comment

The best version of the first two scenes I’ve ever seen: lively, funny, musical.  They staged the two scenes in a nightclub (with a DJ & cafe tables).  1.1 was in the mensroom, with Gloucester and Kent sharing a bit of semi-privacy by the urinals.  Then 1.2 featured the musical entrances of the three daughters plus the King.  The whole set was half Eastern European state (Slovakian? Yugoslav?) and half mafia.  There was a massive — 20 x 20 feet? — portrait of a younger Stacey Keach hanging above the stage.  When the king arrived he danced with each of his girls in turn, squeezing the highly sexualized Reagan on the bottom, and then promenaded around the stage.

Cordelia, in an interesting expression of her alienation from the court, was dressed as a goth girl.

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About Steve

Steve Mentz
Professor of English
St. John’s University
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Shakespearean. Ecocritic. Swimmer. New book Ocean #objectsobjects Professor at St. John's in NYC. #bluehumanities #pluralizetheanthropocene

stevermentz
stevermentz Steve Mentz @stevermentz ·
21h

I bought my ticket to this play a day before @SAAupdates secured this discount - but you should take advantage of it now!

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stevermentz Steve Mentz @stevermentz ·
17 Mar

So great to see this book out in the world! I’ve got a shipwreck piece in it, alongside great stuff by Graham Harman @wracksandruins @peterbcampbell & many others!

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