Tonight I was joined by Bob in driving up to see the last play of the CalShakes season, Lear. This was a new adaptation/translation of King Lear by local playwright Marcus Gardley, set in the SF Filmore District of the late 1960s, which at the time was a culturally rich black neighborhood. The acting was terrific and the story was moving. The adaption/re-setting, after the initial prolog, didn’t really transform the play other than that the cast was primarily black as well as some other broad cultural aspects.
I was unfamiliar with most of the actors, but they were all very good. The ending was a little preachy, but other than that it was a very enjoyable production. An enjoyable and somewhat moving version of Lear. The evening was pleasant and not too cool considering it was the start of Fall.
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