On Tuesday, October 30th, the American Drama Group Europe (ADGE) visited UNIS Hanoi from the TNT theatre and put on a spectacular performance of King Lear, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, in the UNIS Theatre.
The story revolves around King Lear and his three daughters. He asks them how much he is loved by each in turn. The first two daughters, Goneril and Regan, answer flamboyantly and King Lear bestows each of them a piece of land to rule. The last daughter, Cordelia, is honest in her answer and says that she has no words for her love but is banished and married off to the king of France. The play depicts the events that follow as a consequence and is a typical Shakespearean play that involves both the normal and the unusual in its happenings, drawing in the audience with its cruelty and insanity.
When students were interviewed about the play they shared the following thoughts:
Grade 11 student Lucas Prytz said, “I thought the incorporation of music through the violin, cello, drums and vocals was a really effective method to create a better atmosphere.”
Grade 10 student Mathilde Brondum Reeh said, “I thought the performance was good, I liked the background music and sound effects.”
Grade 11 student Mana Muchaku said, “They did an amazing job with the few people they had, though I think that also caused some confusion in places.”
Though students found the interpretation of King Lear interesting and a good cultural experience, there were some criticisms.
Grade 10 student Bryony Rickard said, “I don’t think that King Lear was as good as the performance of Macbeth was that we went to last year. English isn’t the first language of many of the students and so it was a very hard play to understand. (However), the performance itself was interestingly put on by the TNT Theatre.”
Grade 10 student Vera Woerner said, “I thought that it was really nice for us to be able to get out of class and see a professional play. Even though it was a complex story I still enjoyed it and I hope the actors will come back to UNIS to act out other important plays which we learn about in English class for us.”
The group performed in Hanoi at the Opera House on 30-31 October. UNIS students wish them a safe trip back to the TNT theatre and we hope to see the ADGE back on the UNIS theatre stage, putting on another spectacular performance. As Grade 10 student Gillian Vallely said, “The arrival of TNT in Hanoi always means more Shakespeare, more acrobatics and of course more tragedy.” UNIS looks forward to their next appearance.
