It’s Shakespeare in the Park season, and while I didn’t expect to spend a warm summer evening watching a tragedy, I’m glad I did.
The Indianapolis Shakespeare Company (Indy Shakes) is presenting free performances of “King Lear,” directed by Zack Neiditch at the Taggart Memorial Amphitheater at Riverside Park Thursday-Sundays now through Aug. 1.
As I previously mentioned, “King Lear” is one of Shakespeare’s tragedies. It follows King Lear (Ryan Artzberger), a prideful king who wants to divide his kingdom between his three daughters Goneril (Anna Takayo), Regan (Liz Carrier) and Cordelia (Alexandria Miles). He asks them to flatter him, and the two that do — Goneril and Regan — are rewarded, while Cordelia is instead banished alongside Kent (Milicent Wright). However, soon after Regan and Goneril betrayed Lear, throwing him out of their homes. He then wanders through a storm and goes mad, losing the war and all three of his daughters.
I’ll be honest, I really enjoy watching Shakespeare plays, but “King Lear” was a bit more difficult for me to follow than some of his comedies or history plays. That has nothing to do with Indy Shakes, the cast and crew put on a fantastic and memorable production, there’s just a lot going on in this show and it moves quite quickly. Thankfully, I went with a friend who was well versed in the works of the Bard, and she was able to explain a lot during intermission and after the show that made things make sense in retrospect.
Still, confused or not, I quite enjoyed the performance.
I don’t normally spoil shows, but “King Lear” is public domain and if you’re thinking about taking your kids, you should know that a lot of people die in this show… some quite gruesomely. It’s a bold selection for Shakespeare in the Park, and some might even draw parallels between Lear and the current administration.
Well done, Indy Shakes.
I imagine it must be a bit difficult to go from a prideful, do-nothing king who traipses through the audience, stealing beer off of tables, hooting and hollering, to a weak and broken, vulnerable man losing his mind. Artzberger was a phenomenal King Lear.
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While Lear is dealing with the mess of his own creation, the nobleman Gloucester (Charles Goad) is busy worrying about his two sons: Edgar (John Reynolds) and Edmond (Jamaal McCray). Edgar is the legitimate son who comes across as meek, anxious and gullible but ends up being wily, brilliantly resourceful and more forgiving than I would be in his situation. Edmond, however, is illegitimate and a lying liar who spends basically the whole show lying, but somehow being incredibly charming about it. McCray’s portrayal was so good I almost forgot he was the villain in Act II and III.
The Fool (Kelsey VanVoorst) really does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to getting through some of those longer, heavier scenes. While this isn’t a comedy, that doesn’t mean it isn’t funny. VanVoorst is incredibly funny in all the Shakespeare productions I’ve seen her in, and has such a knack for capturing the heart of audiences. Well-timed adlibs and physical comedy goes a long way in a play about hubris and betrayal and abuse of power.
Being able to laugh amidst the chaos and uncertainty of a kingdom at war under the leadership of a man losing his mind while numerous other egotistical politicians are pulling the strings is a little too relatable. That being said, I like that this cast really leaned into the nice, lighthearted moments where it didn’t feel like everything was bad and getting worse.
“King Lear,” like most of Indy Shakes’ performances in the park, uses minimal props and set pieces. The set distinguishes between England, France and Dover by repositioning a set of stone steps with different colored flags. Actors were quite active within the audience, wandering through the grass, occasionally breaking the fourth wall, and stage entrances and exits are mostly a suggestion as the actors frequently leapt on and off the front of the stage — usually mostly gracefully.
I really enjoyed the costumes in “King Lear.” I thought the design was very simple but elegant and eye-catching. Most of the characters were styled in a mix of loose, flowy pastel fabrics that became increasingly more tattered and dirty as the show progressed — I assume to showcase the toll of the ongoing war.
Goneril and Regan had more ornate pink and neutral toned outfits with multiple layers that became more simplified with each act while Lear and Gloucester had capes built directly into their outfit. There are a few scenes where Edgar is half naked and caked in mud, but still finds a unique way to incorporate his costume into his “disguise.”
Overall, “King Lear” is a play that showcases that true love and loyalty cannot be bought and the cost of pride can be devastatingly deadly. The ending is tragic and emotional, but well worth the watch.
“King Lear” is onstage at the Taggart Memorial Amphitheater at Riverside park now through Aug. 1. The show is free to attend, but RSVPs are required through eventbrite.com. Shows begin at 8 p.m. each night, and are approximately two hours with one 15-minute intermission.
Beach and lawn chairs, food trucks, drinks and ice cream vendors will be onsite, but guests are welcome to bring their own chairs, blankets and picnics.
For more information, visit indyshakes.com.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
