King Lear Thrills at Stuart Theatre [Excerpt]
BDH Staff, March 9, 2001

Director John Emigh writes in the program that he "wanted to direct this play with an eye toward the young in the story." He is right to focus on this fresher generation, for the actors that effect it are phenomenal.

Kerry Silva plays both Cordelia and the fool. As Cordelia she is all that is required - stately and genuine. But as the fool she almost outdoes the part itself. Alternately ticking and trembling, she harnesses what might have been diffused energy to pack a mighty wallop. Her words, wise or whimsical, hit home.

Using one actress for both roles adds a lurking familiarity to each and makes the play's conclusion all the more poignant for having joined comedy and tragedy in one.

So much is invested in the three-hour-long play that is conclusion is raw and affecting. It presents a world where "madmen lead the blind," but is a show in which an able cast imparts the meaning of tragedy.