Review: King Lear Performed at BSGE

Ms. Nikkolos’s 9th grade advisory has staged their own version of the Shakespeare classic “King Lear.” In the play, the elderly King Lear wishes to give his kingdom to his three daughters. Of his three daughters, two only love him for his wealth. The third daughter, Cordelia, actually loves him, but he disowns her, which he later comes to regret. This is another Shakepearean tragedy, and it does not have a happy ending.
The students in Ms. Nikkolos’s 9th grade advisory have performed an abridged version for the other 9th grade students. It is short enough to fit in one advisory period. The students performed the Shakespearean classic in the small music room, and had only a few props. However, the advisory made the most out of their situation. Turning a rug and hanging it from ropes on the ceiling represented scene changes. Flickering of the lights meant that a storm was occurring. A bass drum was used to occupy the time between a character’s exit and another’s entrance.
It is very impressive that a group of 9th grade students has worked for around seven months to learn how to put on this play. They could be seen throughout the year with their heads buried in their lines and going up to the music room during lunch. With the help of Olivia Witting’s father, Steve Witting, these students were able to put on an exceptional show.
The audience was pleasantly surprised at how professional the actors were. The student actors were able to say the difficult lines smoothly, which was a feat for the students who had to memorize a large amount of lines. They made a few small mistakes in their lines, but it was nothing that made the play less enjoyable.
The best parts of the play were probably the scenes in which a fight or a death took place. Ms. Nikkolos’s students were very serious about their roles, and it was evident in these scenes especially. They used a lot of emotion, which was needed if they wanted to make the fighting and dying have an effect on their viewers. They have succeeded.
Ms. Nikkolos, Steve Witting, and all the students who had a part in this play did a fantastic job. Most students would never put the time and effort into working on a performance. These students did, and they performed very well. Their hard work is shown through their play, and they should be proud of what they produced