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New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Nicholas de Jongh's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Trevor Nunn.
Cast: Ian McKellen, Frances Barber, Ben Addis, Monica Dolan, Romola Garai, William Gaunt, John Heffernan, Peter Hinton, Jonathan Hyde, Sylvester McCoy, Guy Williams, Philip Winchester
Description: Ian McKellen stars as the old but not so wise king, in Trevor Nunn's acclaimed production for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Trains: Tube: Covent Garden/Holborn 
Phone: 0870890 0141
Website: www.rutheatres.com
Doddering affability: Sir Ian McKellen as a low-key King Lear
Although praise was heaped by most critics on Ian McKellen's King Lear at its Stratford premiere in June, I remain unconvinced of its greatness and unmoved by its performance.
An actor of outstanding intelligence and a versatility few of his contemporaries manage to muster, I thought McKellen would easily slip into the old, royal robes and not shrink from facing the trials of this Mount Everest of roles. Yet the spiritual journey undertaken by his Lear proves no more profound or adventurous than a jovial, charity jog, in which the heights of Primrose Hill are scaled to benefit Help the Aged's campaign to publicise the trials of old age.
The high emotional states of rage, outrage and grief through which Lear passes on his road to self-discovery are registered by Sir Ian in a low-key, flatly delivered, sentimental performance that tends to restrict Lear to doddering affability and charm, with second childhood fury shading into the twilight world of senile confusion. As a result of this clever, technical acting, the elemental moments of "Howl" and "Never" carry no tragic resonance.
It is no surprise that William Gaunt's fine if over sonorous Gloucester rather than McKellen's Lear manages to wrench the heart: blind and demoralised he lies in the king's arms, emitting strange, dreadful sounds of grief.
Trevor Nunn's production literalises Lear's reference to "this great stage of fools" by presenting the play within the decayed framework of a maroon-curtained dress circle, supported by scaffolding, which collapses as Lear's kingdom does. This conceit has already been better used in Jonathan Kent's Almeida production of the same play.
When this Lear first appears, to the accompaniment of tumultuous organ music, the courtiers abase themselves as if the king were an ancient God-head. The king though is adorned in the military scarlet and gold of Upper Ruritania, redolent of the 19th century.
In Nunn's hectic cul-de-sac of a no man's land the cruelty turns melodramatic - Sylvester McCoy's grotesque Fool is seen hanged. Yet Philip Winchester's Edmund transmits no serious evil while Ben Meyjes reduces Edgar to repetitive strain hysteria. At least Guy Williams's Cornwall betrays a genuine, chilling brutality that chimes with the elegantly conveyed malevolence of Frances Barber's sexed-up Goneril and Monica Dolan's sadistic Regan. If only McKellen's Lear could unlock his shuttered heart.
• Closes 12 January. Information 0870 890 0141.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
With all due respect Mr. de Jongh, but I have to agree with reader Carl from the USA that 'preconceived notions lead to disappointment'. For the night I saw King Lear (27 Dec) was brilliantly acted, with McKellen's Lear a masterful portrayal of power, descent, and tragedy.
- Simone, London, UK
I was disappointed by the lack of emotional range of Lear; I never got involved, the power was lacking; he seemed a querulous old man the whole way through. Really surprising as McKellan's Coriolanus was the best thing I've ever seen - maybe an off-night, suffering after-effects of Christmas!
- Elinor Jones, UK
We must've seen two totally different plays! The one I saw was well paced, seemed like only 2 hours, and was wonderfully acted. McKellen was completely believable as Lear, because he created a character that seemed at the same time spontaneous in his full range of reactions (anger, rage, sorrow, happiness, and grief), and genuine in his presentation and in interacting with the other characters. His was a very human Lear under that crown. Obviously, de Jongh went in with preconceived notions of what he wanted to see, and didn't see it. Too bad. Preconceived notions lead to disappointment. There are those in the US who only want Shakepseare in tights. (The RSC and McKellen got an extended, standing ovation in Los Angeles, for the sold out performance. They deserved it!)
- Carl, Los Angeles, USA
