An Evening of Incredible Magic and Awe

Even for the amazing Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Thursday night was unique. I am not exaggerating when I say that in all my years of going to the theater, especially Shakespeare, I have never, absolutely never seen a production like this one.

Of course it wasn't just any Shakespearean play. It is one of his greatest- King Lear. Lear is a remarkable play. While it has all the usual ins and outs of intrigue that Shakespeare handles so well, it is not the intrigue that is at the center of this play. It is the characters. Lear, his daughters, Kent, Glouchester, the fool, the brothers. The range of life and emotion they all portray may be unequaled in classic or modern drama.

Second, it wasn't just any old acting company, even the Guthrie's fine group. This was the Royal Shakespeare Company from England on an American tour. Minneapolis was richly blessed by being one of the three cities in the US that they visited. The other two were naturally, New York and LA. What makes this so exciting is these actors live Shakespeare. There wasn't a wooden performance among them. They know Shakespeare and his plays personally. The Elizabethan English is a second language to them. Amazing.

And finally it wasn't just any Royal Shakespearean actor playing Lear. It was Ian McKellan. While he may be best known for his amazing film acting, to watch him as Lear was nothing short of an out-of-this-world experience. His interpretations of this King going mad literally kept me on the edge of my seat. His amazing interactions with the other characters was stage magic.

Over 40 years ago I was introduced to Shakespeare as a high school junior (I think) when a production of Hamlet starring Richard Burton was presented around the country on a special arrangement with the New York Company. I saw it on screen in a local movie theater in north central Pennsylvania. But it was so intimate and real I was hooked on Shakespeare. Now, 40 some years later I have had the chance to see another great do a stage performance. The intimacy of the Guthrie's Thrust stage only added to the magic.

There is nothing in the world of acting that can compare with live theater. I was reduced to babbling, unable to find words. I stood and applauded with my eyes teary, not from the emotions of the play, but the emotions of life being so overwhelming. I was blessed, moved, pummeled, and finally lifted to the heights of human experience in three hours and forty minutes. I was in the hands of masters- the actors and directors and crew- and of old Wil Shakespeare himself. Lear is just about 400 years old and still has every bit of his maddening power.

Awesome.