CEDAR CITY, Utah—We’re often repulsed by the laughter of those we believe to be mad.
In the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s performance of “King Lear,” which eschews gimmicky revisions in favor of a more traditional approach, Lear’s laughter reveals his humanity, even if we don’t understand why he laughs.
“The great challenge of this role is to make Lear human,” said Anthony Heald, whose turn as Lear is all too human.
As he contends with his fall from power, and the inability to make peace with his daughters Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia, Heald’s nuanced performance reveals a man who laughs as he tries to make sense of a strange new world. He laughs at the absurdity of his situation, even as it becomes increasingly dismal, as we all do when the only other option is to weep….
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