Shakespeare’s King Lear is one of the greatest roles in the Western canon, and the true test of any Lear production is how convincingly (and how devastatingly) the lead actor can portray Lear’s fall from the first to final scene. So when I read in the program notes for The Shakespeare Forum’s LEAR that the title role would be played by each cast member in turn, I felt a little cheated. Within the first few scenes, however, I promptly ate my words. Breaking up the part of Lear (and it becomes more and more broken up as this production progresses) lends a new depth to the line, “Who is it that can tell me who I am?” and captures Lear’s psychological fragmentation more effectively than ever. “Bold but faithful” is how I’d characterize this production – presented as part of El Barrio’s Shakespeare Festival 2018. Director Sybille Bruun-Moss and her cast remain deeply attentive and sensitive to Shakespeare’s text, even as they trim that text and incorporate some bold casting and staging choices. To use an urban term, it’s woke. LEAR features color- and gender-blind casting: Frankie DiCiaccio as Cordelia and Harry Waller as Regan are particularly wonderful, and Rami Margron is beautifully …Read more