King Lear successfully presented by Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Art,Germany

On the afternoon of October 21st, 2017, King Lear was successfully presented by Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Art (Germany) with ultimate aesthetics and explosive power at the Proscenium Stage Theatre in Changping Campus of the Central Academy of Drama (CAD). This play gave a very concise and exquisite presentation of the subtle emotional relations between King Lear and his three daughters, the inheritance of property as well as the social issues handed down from generation to generation. During the 40-minute performance, Director Evgeny Titov presented his exploration into the inner world of Lear’s family and demonstrated his deep thinking on the issue of human relations.

This performance was very unique, from which you can find strong Brechtian defamiliarization effect. The show was divided into seven scenes performed by King Lear, eldest daughter Goneril, second daughter Regan, little daughter Cordelia, Fool and Edmund laughing in the last scene. All scenes revolve around a pile of garbage bags with dead leaves. At the opening scene, three daughters’ choices on garbage bags (representing land and property) caught the audience's eyes and curiosity. The audience couldn’t help guessing what it is inside the bags. Did Lear’s property have even more meanings? At the second scene, the fool gave audience a big surprise when getting out of the pile of garbage bags. Everyone's attention has been pulled back into the play. The fool’s words seemed meaningless, but were meant to remind Lear about his situation. However, Lear was still not aware of his dilemma and danger at that time. At the third, fourth and fifth scene, King Lear gradually woke up from his splendid dream when he was abandoned by his eldest and second daughter along with Lear’s complete mental breakdown. At the sixth scene, King Lear became crazy when the fool showed up. When the exiled daughter Cordelia read Edgar's lines slowly and appeared on the scene, silly and crazy, Lear's madness also reached its peak. Under the fool’s guidance, the two guys scratched that garbage bags which represented wealth, only to find countless dead leaves inside. They suddenly realized – King Lear thought to have planted the seeds of wealth, what did he get finally? Nothing but a pile of dead leaves.

Inspired by stage designer's desire to show Lear's emotions and thoughts, the "garbage bags full of dead leaves" was created. Something considered by parents as valuable and worthy was less important and necessary to their children. For the stage designer part, what did Lear hand down to their daughters was just a pile of dead leaves showing in front of the audience.

Throughout the play, the director omitted the plot of the Gloucester family, but at the end she added Edgar’s exiled lines read by Cordelia. The emotional relationship of Gloucester family has been reflected by Lear’s family, which not only greatly saved the performance time but also showed a "Lear pattern" or "Lear complex”. That is a prototype of emotional relationship between Lear and his daughters. The audience was then engaged in thinking about the true thoughts of Lear and the three daughters in their inner world. Lear gave his daughters his precious land, but in the end it turned to be nothing. Then, what was the real treasure for his daughters? What about the relationship between property and successors? Edmund, who appeared with laughing at the end of the play, gave a slightly abrupt monologue, which is director's specific thinking about the fate of mankind. Finally, naked Lear spoke to Edmund, “Please undo this button for me; thank you, sir." What is this button? How to undo it? The director gave an explanation - there is no real existing button, so there is no way to undo it. It seems that no one in the world but you can solve your own problems totally. Everyone really has only himself. Through Lear’s madness, Director Evgeny Titov left the big question to the audience.