Reply to an Advertisement for an Actor to Play the Character of King Lear :: King Lear Theatre Drama Plays Essays

Reply to an Advertisement for an Actor to Play the Character of faggot Lear Dear Mr SimonI am writing in reply to your advertisement for an actor to play thecharacter of King Lear in your upcoming production. I affirm much acting exist and have appe bed in many theatre and film performancesover the last 40 years.I have previous experience in King Lear, as I starred as King Lear atthe New York Shakespeare in the park festival. This productionrequired extreme emotional elements, which I believe I executed withsincerity.My experienced appearance closely adheres to Lears in the play. My72 years have not yet affected my acting ability, and I must say, ithas permitted me to retain the stamina of a younger man.I have thought about what it is you want to see in your production ofKing Lear.I greatly admire Paul Schofields performance in the Brook productionof King Lear 1962. His portrayal of Lear was angry and unheroic. Theaudience had no sympathy for Lear in his rage. He was perceived assh amefully boorish when expressing his anger by up-turning tables andimplements, and through this performance his madness in Act 3 wasdeserved.Lears tyranny as a father contributes greatly to the lesson he learnsby the end of the play. It difficult to decide whether Lear does dowrong as a father. This point, however, is not important whenevaluating the play as a whole. Richard Eyres King Lear of the 1990sdid focus more so on Lear as a father, than as a king. The delicatebalance of power is seen mingled with fathers and their children, surrounded bysisters, and between brothers. In Eyres film version of the play,symbolism is used to create a deeper understanding of thepsychoanalytical reading he attempts to convey.Little colour is seen end-to-end the production. The key colours areblack, white and red. This can be interpreted in many ways. I believethat the black and white is to show the alternation between good andevil, and the red is a symbol of anger, betrayal and of family, who ofcourse are only bound by blood.In the first act Lear paces around the family, who are seated at thetable, showing domination over the family. The family dynamics of theplay are very apparent. This production has a major focus on thecharacters and their interaction with each other.Lear is seen in this production, standing on the table yelling and allwho were seated have stepped back from him. Eyre has incorporated suchitems as a tip and whip to show Lears power.