The Sixth Year Higher Level English classes in Presentation College took a trip to The Helix in Dublin, where they enjoyed the Second Age Theatre Company production of Shakespeare’s great tragedy, King Lear. The trip presented a fantastic opportunity for the students to engage with their studied play in preparation for their Leaving Certificate English exam.

The production is directed by the award-winning Paul Meade, and stars Christopher Saul as King Lear. Saul excellently portrays the pain, turmoil, and madness of the tragic hero in an inspired performance. He incites sympathy and terror for his character in the hearts of the young audience, and his depiction of the King’s madness is totally believable, showing his strong understanding of the writer’s intention.

Around him, unfortunately, the other performances can seem lacklustre at times; worst of all in the characters of Goneril and Regan, Lear’s heinous daughters, who are often considered to be the most evil of all Shakespeare’s villains, and undoubtedly are a key component of what makes King Lear such a brilliantly honest representation of the human condition as the Bard saw it. This version fails to effectively capture their villainy and cunning, as both actors deliver their most vicious scenes with a decided lack of power and conviction. Overall, despite the poor performances of Goneril and Regan, the acting is quite good. Some of the young actors (Edmund in particular) did a great job, and Sarah Morris - as both the Fool and Cordelia - played very interesting versions of the two characters.

The set design is very minimal but effective. Maree Kearns’s set consists of a large brown wall at the back of the stage, which serves a surprising number of uses; the most satisfying of which being when lightning-shaped cracks in the wall are illuminated from behind by flashing lights during the storm scene. The costumes are generally well-presented, but the other props come across as somewhat lazy in places, with tiny daggers in place of swords and, most jarringly, modern, steel chairs being used as thrones.

In all, the class enjoyed the trip and the production, and they all found it to be a valuable experience, helping them to form a better picture of the play in their minds.