Exit the King
at broadway’s Barrymore Theatre
10 June 2009 @ 2pm
a play by Eugene Ionesco
as adapted by Geoffrey Rush and Neil Armfield
directed by Neil Armfield
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I happened to be one of the priviliged few in this season of great theatre and performances in NYC to have been witness to such a theatrical masterpiece as Geoffrey Rush’s performance as King Berenger in Eugene Ionesco’s absurdist drama “Exit the King.”
From the moment that he walked onto the stage he began a journey into the soul of “everyman” and showed us a man dealing with his uncontrollable life and how one deals with the fact that at some point… we will all perish.
The company of actors made up of Susan Sarandon, Lauren Ambrose, Andrea Martin, William Sadler, and Brian Hutchison were equally thrilling in this ensemble piece. Most of the cast remains onstage the entire time, allowing us to witness, through characters, the different pieces that are within us all and how they relate to the important people that we choose to populate our “kingdom” with.
The scenic elements were very ethereal, a few hung tapestries, bare bulbs, and exposed supports all led the audience on a journey into an experience of viewing actuality in all of its physical value. The lone musician in the pit who played a variety of instruments, simultaneously, was equally an asset to the production adding musical sound to the emotionally invigorating moments of the piece.
Only a few more performances of this masterpiece are left to be seen.
TheatreBear 