At 53 Danny Sapani is even younger than London’s last major Lear, Kenneth Branagh, but he’s far more forceful and moving in the role. A big, raging bear of a man who is also capable of great delicacy and pathos, he inhabits a dream-like and disjointed staging by Yaël Farber.
The South African director’s productions tend to start at Force Ten intensity then go up to 11, and to run long. This Lear lasts 210 minutes but is modulated in pace and tone. The emotion rings true, though the milieu is unclear and the long absences of major characters from the action feels more glaring than ever. The show is stuffed with potent moments and images, not all of which make sense or coalesce.
