It's Bad to Be the King

There is no greater rule than that of king. Ha, just kidding! The greatest of Shakespeare's tragedies, King Lear, proves this thought to be quite a lark. Lear is not in charge of much of anything; neither his kingdom, his daughters' love for him, nor his own physical abilities. His two eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan, divide the responsibility of caring for him, which in their tender mercies consists of the shared duty of ridiculing their ailing father. Meanwhile, the sons of the Earl of Gloucester are plotting a million schemes and, of course, England and France prepare for war against each other. To twist the knife just a bit more, the king of the latter country married his youngest and only devoted daughter Cordelia, whom he cast away because she refused to flatter Lear. St. Louis Actors' Studio presents King Lear at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday (June 7 through 23) at the Gaslight Theater (358 North Boyle Avenue; 314-458-2978 or www.stlas.org). Tickets are $25 to $30.
Thursdays-Sundays. Starts: June 7. Continues through June 23, 2013