Burgtheater Vienna

King Lear’s bottomless fall into darkness

Martin Reinke is Vienna's new Lear(Bild: (c)Tommy Hetzel / BURG )

A watchable Shakespeare at the "Burg": The "Lear" with Martin Reinke brought back from Cologne has great advantages and some disadvantages

Anyone who dares to take on "Lear" at the Burg also has to overcome memories that are even greater than what took place back then. Neither Luc Bondy and Gert Voss nor Peter Stein and Brandauer have reached the optimum of their possibilities. But even coming close to one of them remains a challenge. The directors have therefore wisely decided not to stage a giant showdown and have brought along Rafael Sanchez's production, which was already successful in Cologne.

And it has many advantages: Martin Reinke is a great protagonist in the ensemble of just six, the story of hubris and the downfall of a powerful man is told in an exciting way and close to the text.

The scene (Simeon Meier) is covered in a pitch-black night that never clears for a moment. Shakespeare's world pessimism, which gathers both good and evil in the Orcus, is grippingly realized. Lear and the evil daughters (first-class: Sylvie Rohrer and Lilith Häßle) are the sole owners of their roles.

The others are obliged to play multiple roles. Seán McDonagh bridges the gap between the good Kent and the rejected schemer Edmund in a respectable way, Bruno Cathomas would have done better with the tortured and blinded Gloster - he has to outdo Albany to create contrast. Instead, Katharina Schmalenberg, responsible for the light figures Cordelia, Jester and Edgar, is a beguiling fairy creature. Musician Pablo Giw creates a foundation reminiscent of Brooks' "Tempest".

However, the use of booming face microphones is to be criticized. And the fact that the heath scene is destroyed by projecting Reinke onto a video screen is a throwback to the antediluvian post-dramatic province. In any case, the almost three hours are extremely watchable.