SCHEMING SISTERS: Goneril (left, Jenna Devine) and Regan (Hannah Wilson) eagerly attend to their father King Lears distribution of his kingdom in the opening scene of William Shakespeares The Tragedy of King Lear, playing in a joint Princeton Shakespeare Company-Theatre Intime production at the Hamilton Murray Theater on the Princeton University campus through April 11. |
Monumental, mysterious, thought by many to be William Shakespeare’s greatest achievement, The Tragedy of King Lear is demanding on its performers and its audiences. The poetry, the drama, and the human emotions are rich and intense. It is a harrowing story of parents and children, of immense love, hatred, suffering, and loss. Though it has received uninterrupted praise since Shakespeare’s first production in 1605, King Lear may be impossible to explain and virtually impossible to perform successfully.
Amidst all the economic bleakness, some local arts organizations have found cause to celebrate. The Princeton Singers, founded twenty-five years ago by British import John Bertalot, has been a mainstay of the Princeton choral scene. The ensemble has only had two conductors in that time; composer/conductor Steven Sametz took the helm from Mr. Bertalot in 1998, and the chorus has stayed true to its mission of sharing the joy of music and advancing the choral art, while adding Dr. Sametz’s own personal commitment to contemporary choral music.