Auckland Theatre Company

"A breathtakingly brilliant production with a stunning set design, magical lighting and superb performances from the cast. Multiple scenes on the stage at the same time was ingenious. It is among the best theatrical productions I have ever seen."

"Omg, what a performance! I'm Pacific Islander, have worked in MMH ED as an RN for 10 years and boy did the play hit home on a few issues. The performances from all the actors were phenomenal!"

"Awesome production. Powerful and moving story. Standing ovation says it all."

"First time seeing a Shakespeare play. It had everything - drama, action, comedy, tragedy. We loved the experience. The acting was outstanding. Michael Hirst was phenomenal. Loved Oswald!"

"King Lear was a sentimental fool who, lacking a male heir, divided up his kingdom between his daughters before he’d passed away. What he should’ve done was name the eldest, Goneril, as heir, marry off the youngest to France as an ally, and give Kent the power of regency to cover his impending senility. Goneril may have been wicked, but things couldn’t have turned out worse than they did, and her husband the Duke of Albany (Scotland) may have moderated her worst inclinations. Instead, his situation quickly descends from high formality to humiliation to madness and chaos. Those most loyal to Lear all suffer for it, notably his daughter Cordelia, whom he rejects in Act I and who dies in his arms at the end. The political lesson is clear: only a fool divides his sovereignty voluntarily. First performed in 1606, not long after the succession of James VI of Scotland to the English throne as James I, the audience were well aware of dynastic politics and the importance of avoiding a war of succession. The fact that James's mother, Mary Queen of Scots, had been scandalously executed under Queen Elizabeth's reign was still in living memory. What do we see in it now? In the course of watching Lear’s self-inflicted disgrace, we learn how hypocrisy and unbridled ambitions destroy us. Truth is folly and the mad lead the blind. On the way to his madness, Lear becomes little more than a bitter, twisted and impotent old man, and yet somehow, through the devilish pace of events, he lays bare the inner self, the absolute importance of loyalty, and the impossibility of true justice. Somehow this idiotic and humiliated character must reveal the nobility that underlies our most unworthy motives and feelings. One of the most derided figures of our times is the narcissistic, pathetic and lecherous old man, especially when he thinks he can rule. There are crowds on social media just itching for opportunities to ridicule, dethrone and emasculate him. How does one act this pathetic old fool and yet display his true pathos to reveal a timeless meaning? This takes an actor of true maturity and sustained skill, and Micheal Hurst carries it off masterfully. ‘Doing Lear’ is a crowning achievement for his distinguished career. There’s a fine line between pathos and pathetic, and the play relies almost entirely on the quality of its lead to ensure that the audience can see the pathetic side and yet still feel the pathos. Lear is a play that demands all of our mental powers to comprehend the worst and the best that may emerge from the decisions that we make. On his journey into idiocy, isolation and loss, Lear leads us back into ourselves. The ATC production brought that out brilliantly."