War and family collide in bold reworking of King Lear

The National

2 days ago

That programme staged a style of audacious, gestural performance that was – and still is – quite rare in Scottish theatre.
For sure, we have the brilliant, Lecoq-trained actor Sandy Grierson (lead performer in the recent, and fabulous, Confessions Of A Shinagawa Monkey), who combines ­exceptionally accomplished movement with superb verbal expression.
However, for the kind of wordless theatre that was showcased at Aurora Nova, Scottish theatre lovers have to turn to excellent outliers like Company of Wolves and acclaimed theatre-maker and performer Al Seed. They also turn – and always with high expectations – to the work of the award-winning Scots-Singaporean artist Ramesh Meyyappan.
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With beautiful works such as Butterfly and Love Beyond, Meyyappan (who is Deaf) has consistently provided audiences with visually stunning and emotionally compelling pieces of physical theatre. His latest piece, entitled LEAR, is a fine addition to his impressive oeuvre.
Inspired, needless to say, by Shakespeare's famous play King Lear, the show – which is produced by Glasgow-based company Raw ­Material in association with the National ­Theatre of Scotland – has just returned from its world premiere at the Singapore International Festival of Arts.
The piece is set – we assume from the ­sandbags, Lear's greatcoat and the shell fire that characterises the conflict – during the First World War.
Rendered profoundly Deaf by an exploding shell, Lear – not a king, but, we assume, an officer – returns home to his three daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia (who are given beautifully measured, emotive performances by Nicole Cooper, Amy Kennedy and Draya ­Maria). It is clear from the nature of his return that Lear has enjoyed the domestic status of a beloved and revered (and perhaps somewhat feared) pater familias.
The daughters compete for the patriarch's ­attention and affection, and seek to ease him back into domestic life. However, ­Meyyappan's Lear is dragged into deep despair and ­frustration by his experience of war and his devastating ­injury.
Memories, both terrifying and consoling, flood his mind and are given, by turns, ­powerful and humorous expression by Meyyappan. A scene in which the man – his mind twisted beyond his control – turns upon his beloved daughters is genuinely, viscerally shocking.
The production is stylish and precise, thanks to director Orla O'Loughlin and dramaturg Lu Kemp. It is played on an excellent, minimalist set, designed expertly by Anna Orton and lit ­intelligently by Derek Anderson.
It also boasts music and sound (composed by the ever-impressive David Paul Jones) that is ­always perfectly attuned to the action.
In its relocation of Shakespeare's famous protagonist to an appalling, modern conflict, LEAR renders the man both more human and more frightening. Once again – as both writer and performer – Meyyappan succeeds in captivating our minds and our senses.
At Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, June 5-7: rawmaterialarts.com