By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor
Directed by Benjamin Mederios, The Gazebo Players of Medfield’s rendition of the famous Shakesperan play “King Lear,” gifted audiences to a local and high-quality production, full of talented performers.
This tragic play was believed to have been written between 1605 and 1606. The play revolves around themes of power, greed, betrayal, madness, and the consequences of poor decision-making.
The story centers around the aging King Lear of Britain, who has decided to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters, based on how much they profess to love him. The two eldest, Goneril and Regan, flatter their father with false declarations of love and are thus rewarded with generous portions of the kingdom. However, Cordelia, the youngest and Lear's favorite, refuses to engage in such flattery, as she believes her love for her father cannot be expressed through mere words. This rejection angers Lear, and he disowns Cordelia, dividing her share of the kingdom between Goneril and Regan.
Though, as time marches forward, Lear begins to realize that things are not as they once seemed to be. As Lear faces the harsh realities of his decision, he begins to descend into madness, wandering the countryside in a storm, accompanied only by his loyal Fool and a few supporters.
Mederios decided to give a spin to his reiteration of this famous work by placing “King Lear” in “a Steampunk Victorian-era England.” While most audiences tend to view Steampunk in a happier light, Mederios relayed that, “I wanted to turn that around and have a more dystopian setting for this Steampunk show. They [the audience] may see the vibrant colors and interesting costumes, but that hides a deeper, more sinister plot at hand.”
The Bellforge was an excellent setting for this production, as it felt reminiscent of Shakespeare in the Park. Dozens of locals ventured out on this perfect summer evening to be dazzled by these performers.
Jacobite McFee, who donned the role of the titular character, King Lear, gave a powerful performance during his descent into madness. The raw emotion as his character cried out, “Cordelia, why don’t you stay awhile?” ran shivers up and down the spines of audience members.
Cammerron Baits, the actor who played Edmund, caused the audience to roar with laughter as he gave so much power and color to his lines. Baits had incredible chemistry with both Ashley Harmon, who played Goneril and Kelly McGowan, who played Regan. These three characters especially wow’d the audience as they were able to display their duality as actors whose characters were acting.
Krishan Oberoi, who acted as Edgar, provided a very convincing performance during his own descent into madness, which left audience members wondering the depths of his descent by the end of the performance.
Thespians such as Elise Blanchard, who played both Cordelia and The Fool, Dani Dorrego, who played Burgundy, Cornwall, and Captain, Anna Sheehan, who played King of France, Oswald, and Gentleman, and Joe Rich, who played Albany, Servant, and Doctor, seamlessly transitioned between their various roles, leaving no confusion for which character they were playing within any given scene.
Welcome to all, these performances are free to the public. “King Lear '' will be performed once again at the Bellforge on Saturday, July 29th and Sunday, July 30th at 5pm. The final performance will occur at Bird Park in Walpole on Saturday August 5th and Sunday, August 6th at 5pm. All the world's a stage, so come join in on the fun.
