On Wednesday 6th March, Mr Hodges, Mr Smith and I, along with our large cohort of Lower Sixth English Literature students, attended a production of King Lear at the Almeida Theatre in Islington, North London. We travelled by train and were particularly delighted to see the announcement on the station departure boards that the ‘last coach is reserved for Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School’: full VIP treatment from Southeastern Railway! Having navigated three trains, we finally arrived in Highbury and Islington and from there walked a short distance to the theatre – an intimate and vibrant space where, as their promotional material advises, you are never ‘further than 10 metres from the stage’.
At first glance, the set appeared to be very simplistic and minimalist, but as the play progressed, we were mesmerised by the impact of the staging, sound and lightning: the play’s famous thunderstorm had us gripping the arms of the seats in fright! The play is known for its bleakness – the most commonly recurring word in the script is ‘nothing’ – and this production perfectly conveyed the desolate situation of the characters, with sibling rivalry, madness, ambition, greed, and torture all incorporated into the actors’ phenomenal performances.
Our journey home involved lots of thinking on our feet to ensure that train connections were made, as the play started a little late and had a running time of over three and a half hours! However, despite not reaching Tunbridge Wells until close to 1am, the students could not stop enthusing about the performance for the entire journey home (and well into our lesson the next day!). The late night and sleep deprivation was worth it for the invaluable insight the production gave us into the world of the play!
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