(Michael Billington’s article appeared in the Guardian, 12/8.)
"How can you bear another Lear?" someone asked me over lunch. And, if one's honest, there are times when Mount Lear, as a critic once called it, can seem as daunting a challenge to playgoers as to performers. But the miracle of Michael Grandage's production is that it is fast (under three hours), vivid, clear and, thanks to a performance that reminds us why Derek Jacobi is a great classical actor, overwhelmingly moving.