McKellen's Merlion Lear

This month at Singapore's Esplanade Theatre, he's taking on one of the most difficult roles in Western theatre. And the occasion marks the closest the Royal Shakespeare Company's "King Lear" will ever get to Bangkok.

The host company is Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT), one of Asia's leading English-language theatre producers. SRT's artistic director Gaurav Kripalani is excited: "A big group of friends and I were planning to fly to the UK to watch this production as collaborations of this calibre come along only once every 15 to 20 years. Instead, to be able to bring the two shows to Singapore and be associated with this dream team of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Trevor Nunn and Ian McKellen is tremendous for SRT."

"SRT has for the past 14 years produced theatre of a very high calibre using local Singaporean talent on and behind the stage," adds executive director Charlotte Nors.

"But we always try to merge the local talent with talent from leading arts capitals like London and New York to ensure high quality and transfer of skills. When we heard about this trip and contacted the RSC, they were excited about working with SRT and Esplanade. They decided to start the world tour here, and Singapore is the only Asian stop."

Nors adds that apart from the plays, the RSC will conduct voice master-classes for local actors.

Let's hear from the visiting players.

Sir Ian McKellen says, "To play King Lear is the greatest of acting challenges. I'm fortunate to be with such talented old and new colleagues who relish the play as much as I do. Bringing our production, along with 'The Seagull', on tour will only add to the excitement of being back with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the job of a lifetime."

At the helm of this production is Trevor Nunn, a former artistic director of the RSC who may be better known to musical-theatre fans around the world as the director of "Cats", "Les Miserables" and "The Woman in White".

Nunn speaks of his long-time friend and collaborator: "He has been described many times as a 'great' actor. Well, there is no point in doing 'Lear' unless the possibility exists of a great performance. The demands of the role are beyond the reach of most actors. The character is 80 years old, but he combines frailty with dangerous robustness and temperamental rages. He must become as erratically unpredictable as a child. He passes through madness to a state of serene wisdom, and he must have phenomenal stamina. It's a challenge Ian is almost uniquely qualified to take on."

When UK critics saw "King Lear" in Stratford-upon-Avon last month, most embraced it.

The Sunday Telegraph called it, "a breathtaking tour de force, an act of unmistakable genius, the crowning moment in a great classical actor's career". The Guardian concurred, giving it four out of five stars: "McKellen is a majestic, moving Lear," and the whole production is "largely satisfying". Variety's opinion: "His portrait of Lear's descent into madness is painfully lit by flashes of hope, doubt and, above all, intelligence."

Apart from "King Lear", McKellen will also perform the role of Sorin in the RSC's production of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull", of which the Daily Telegraph said: "Nunn and his company combine wild laughter with bitter tears".

After Singapore, both productions will travel to Melbourne, Wellington, Auckland, New York, Minneapolis and Los Angeles, before the run in London's West End starts in November. Dubbed "one of the most keenly anticipated theatrical events in recent years", it's not a big surprise that tickets have already been sold out at many of these venues.

Well, at time of press the Great Singapore Sale was still on (so is the Singapore Food Festival). Here's your chance to fly down  for some world-class theatre. n

The RSC's 'King Lear' is being performed at Singapore's Esplanade Theatre from July 19 to 21 at 8pm, and "The Seagull" on July 22 at 2 and 8pm. Tickets range from S$30 (Bt690) to $400 at www.sistic.com.sg, where more information for the events is also available.

Pawit Mahasarinand  

The writer can be reached at pawit.m@chula.ac.th.