APT's tempestuous 'King Lear' conjures up a perfect storm

Rob Thomas, The Cap Times

In the middle of the wet summer we've been having, American Players Theatre in Spring Green might seem to tempt the gods' wrath by staging “King Lear."

The last thing an audience needs is Mother Nature answering the call when Lear rages, "Blow, winds! And crack your cheeks!"

But on Saturday night, the weather was perfect and all the storms were artificial, with thunder cracking and lightning blazing (thanks to the effective work of lighting designer Michael E. Peterson and sound design by Gregg Coffin). The real tempest was on stage, as Brian Mani’s deluded monarch raged, red-faced and unkempt, at the heavens in Tim Ocel’s brilliant and turbulent production.

The play opens with only two props on stage — a map and a throne. Ostensibly, these are the only two things the characters in “King Lear” care about, as the elderly but still vital king gathers his three daughters to divvy up his land among them. To amuse himself, Lear asks the daughters to profess their love for him — one last honorific for a ruler accustomed to being adored.

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