Wow. This is the 4th installment of my marathon week of theatre reviews and I really didn’t know what to expect when attending Saturday’s performance of Barely There Theatre’s latest production of local playwright Alexander Richardson’s world premier of his original script, To Leer at Lear” which, to me, evokes elements of Theatre of the Absurd which is defined as a post-World War II movement that portrays human existence as inherently chaotic and non-sensical, often with illogical plots, undefined timelines and a devaluation of language.
In this script, Richardson takes us backstage of a small theatre troupe preparing to stage King Lear. Talk about chaos! The cast is a spectrum of dysfunctional caricatured personalities. The actors include the pompous Clarence as Lear, the diva, Clare, the angst-ridden, insecure Allison, the over-confident, impressed-with-himself, Johnny, and the devil-may-care, ditzy Grif. Rounding out the troupe is Sam, the frustrated director, the overly ambitious assistant director, Lis, and Scott, the sleazy, profit focused owner.
Discord within the troupe causes Clarence to storm off. They need a new Lear. Scott manages to secure an actor who has played Lear several times. The replacement is Ouroboro, an outlandish, large purple puppet. Are you getting the “absurd” vibe yet? Sam gets more and more frustrated trying to pull together the show which is set to open in four days. Lis and Johnny collaborate to sabotage Sam so Lis will get elevated to director. In order to save the financial side of the production, Scott secures corporate sponsorship. The contract insists on product placement and renaming the play to Burger King Lear. So, literally as I’m writing this, I think this show is more like Theatre of the Absurd and Farce had a baby.
This superb cast includes some Quad Cities’ favorites with Jeremy Mahr taking on the roles of Lear and Ouroboro, Adrienne Evans as Allison, Evan Gagliardo as Johnny, Tyler Henning as Scott, Noel Jean Huntley as Sam, and Ann Keeney-Grafft as Clare. Rounding out the cast are new-to-me actors – both of whom I hope to see more – are Jack Bevans as Grif and Elane Edwards as Lis. With the QC favorites you know you’re going to get a terrific show. The addition of Bevans, who gave an over the top, childlike playfulness to the role was just delightful and Edwards was equally impressive with a subtle sinister undertone to her portrayal. Credit also goes to Krissy Wheeler who plays Elliot, the overlooked stage manager.
This is a totally fun, exaggerated romp that comically exposes the underbelly of the backstage machinations of theatre. Just sit back and enjoy.
Barely There Theatre’s To Leer at Lear continues at The Black Box Theatre, 1623 – 5th Avenue in Moline, Thursday through Saturday, July 17 through 19 at 7:30 p.m.
I’m Chris Hicks…break a leg.