The Tragedy of King Lear” by the Gallery Players is insanely good.
The decorated Park Slope troupe pours its heart out on stage in Shakespeare’s masterpiece of the unhinged king and his conniving court, wringing wonderful performances from the cast in the ultimate play about the breakdown of the nuclear family.
Yes, the Players are the latest theater company to catch a case of summertime Shakespeare fever, and — oh, doctor! — theater fans should pay a house call to the 14th Street playhouse for this limited run, through Aug. 2.
Domenic Cuskern portrayed Lear, the toppled monarch, with appropriate levels of mania, chastened entitlement and regret. John Blaylock as Kent and Elliott Mayer as Gloucester, are worth their weight in gold as Lear’s loyal noblemen. Andrew Firda, the gangly Fool, cut through the gravity of the plot with satisfying moments of comic relief.
Accolades for the Players were assured by the near-flawless first half. The actors fired on all cylinders from the opening scene — Lear’s dispensation of his kingdom among his daughters — and were in synch until the intermission.
After the break, however, it must be admitted that the intensity flagged. What should have been the play’s climax — the gruesome blinding of Gloucester — was outshone by earlier scenes, like Lear’s stark raving agony in the storm outside his castle.
Likewise, the virtually blood-less bloodletting in the later scenes that’s par for the course in the Bard’s tragedies plodded towards the inevitable conclusion of a stage lined with corpses. Frankly, the death could hardly come fast enough for some of the writhing characters.
Overall, “King Lear” is very good and has extended periods of brilliance.
“The Tragedy of King Lear” at the Gallery Players [199 14th St., between Fourth and Fifth avenues in Park Slope, (718) 832-0617], through Aug. 2. Tickets, $15.