Cort Theater138 W. 48th St.Midtown West
Having thoroughly enjoyed Frank Langella in King Lear at BAM in 2014, as well as Glenda Jackson’s stunning performance in Three Tall Women last year, and having heard raving reviews of the London production of King Lear, we were giddy with anticipation about seeing Glenda Jackson in this iconic role. And the play began promisingly — being in the presence of Glenda Jackson, the dazzling contemporary setting, the staging, on stage music, the non-traditional casting, all kept our interest. Kudos to performances by Ruth Wilson, Jayne Houdyshell, Elizabeth Marvel, Aisling O’Sullivan, Pedro Pascal and John Douglas Thomson.
However, shortly into the over two-hour (!) long first act, our interest began to wane. What we first found interesting now seemed off balance. The music became a distraction, not hearing all the lines became tedious, some of the roles were miscast, and some actors had a weaker stage presence than others (unfortunately this includes our dear Glenda Jackson).
We bailed at intermission.
