Created in partnership with Crisis UK, Lear Alone is an experimental hour of theatre that uses just King Lear’s lines from Shakespeare’s original play to offer perspectives on homelessness, mental health, and aging. Turning Shakespeare’s King directly on his head and setting him as a homeless man in the UK, Lear Alone is an emotive, politically motivated piece.
Edmund Dehn is a powerful storm of an actor, not just delivering the lines, but feeling them. It is an immense feat to deliver the entire script of a Shakespeare character without fellow actors to play off and in such a defamiliarised setting. He must be commended for the brilliant performance; I would be very keen to see him in the titular role of a full-scale production of King Lear.
Though the production was simple, largely leaving Dehn to command the space himself, there was just enough to convey the setting of a busy street in Britain, where a homeless person may sleep. The use of consistent sound effects in the background, such as sirens and laughter, served to make this feel even more authentic.
Overheard phone calls from the character’s daughter reveal context, and we gradually uncover the narrative of a confused elderly man sleeping on the street after leaving a care home. His disturbing, fragmented mental state is enhanced through the words of Shakespeare, as Dehn laments that he “will not weep”, mirroring the mental decline of the original King Lear. It forces the audience to confront our own ideas about homelessness. Certainly, the piercing stare Dehn gave to individual members of the audience as he delivered lines created an uncomfortable, disconcerting atmosphere that felt very intentional.
Not every moment felt cohesive or easy to grasp. Despite feeling fairly confident with Shakespearean language and phrasing, I felt that a better knowledge of King Lear would have served me well.
Lear Alone was bold and unafraid to confront the issues it put forward and was delivered elegantly and with empathy. It is always interesting to see new imaginings of Shakespeare, and this definitely offered something entirely original.
Lear Alone is on at theSpaceTriplex at 3:05pm until 19 August. Tickets available: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/lear-alone
Image provided to The Student as press material.