The Moresby Arts Theatre (MAT) kicks off the theatrical year with a brand new production of William Shakespeare’s brilliant tragedy, King Lear.
The story of the old king and his three daughters (the evil Goneril and Regan and the innocent Cordelia) is set next to that of a father (Gloucester) and his two sons (the evil Edmund and the set-upon Edgar).
Lear gives up his kingdom to try and retire in peace but mistakenly distributes his land between his three daughters. This sets off a bitter power struggle that unleashes the depths of human cruelty where daughters and sons turn on fathers to try and snatch their turn at power. Lear is turned out into the countryside to battle the wild elements and struggle with his unravelling mind, his decent into madness, and the tragedies that ensue.
Simon Kaldy (who played Falstaff in MAT’s 2014 Henry IV) is the wronged king. Andrew Kuliniasi (known for his play Meisoga 2017 and his Puck in Midsummer Night’s Dream 2016) plays The Fool (jester). A strong cast featuring regular PNG and expatriate actors includes Darian Clark (Edmund), James Fraser-Byass (Edgar), Stephen Copola (Gloucester), Nona Diya (Cordelia) Penelope Murphy (Goneril) Fiona Crockford (Regan) with Shane Stockil (Kent) plus MAT regulars Alphonse Aisi and ZiggyYominau hit the stage again as Cornwall and Oswald.
King Lear is directed by Bob Stanley, no stranger to MAT with a few Shakespeare directing credits under his belt.
“Lear tells us something of the human condition; how cruel people can be and the suffering that we can inflict and endure,” says Stanley.
This play has been brought out onto the thruster stage and the technical crew (Sevese Tupou on sound and Ed Wilkinson on lights) has created some very impressive storm scene lighting and sound effects that the audience is sure to enjoy. The play has been cut down to a manageable two halves of 50 minutes each.
The show opens on Thursday 15th March and closes on Saturday 24th March, with a matinee (1pm show) on Saturday 17th March. Adult seats are K50, full-time student tickets are K20, and all matinee seats are K20.
Tickets are available at Foodworld (Waterfront and Boroko), Holiday Inn Hotel reception and the MAT office (weekdays 9am-4pm) and at the MAT Theatre door before each performance.
(King Lear rehearsal)