My high school English teacher insisted that one day we would be thankful that he made us read King Lear. I was skeptical. And then we attended a performance of the play in Russian and the moment came: I was indeed quite happy that I had read Shakespeare’s work about a father descending into insanity. Having read the play, I was able to attempt to follow the performance. This was the third theatrical production I have seen in Russia and it is always a challenge. I have to use all of my energy to try to keep up with the dialogue and avoid falling into the trap of thinking too much about that one word that I heard but forgot the meaning of.
In an attempt to explain what my brain goes through when listening to Russian theatre, I present King Lear: The Limited Comprehension Version. There is a famous soliloquy in the play in which King Lear is starting to lose his mind. A storm is brewing. Here is what I heard when listening in Russian:
Blow, winds and (something) your cheeks! Do (something)! Blow!
You (something) and hurricanes, do (something)!
Till you have (something) our steeples, (something) the (somethings)!
You (some kind of) fires
(Something) to (some kind) of thunderbolts.
Difficult indeed. The thing is, there is more to theatre than language and some of the most powerful parts of the performance were when the actors performed without speaking. This was a contemporary performance, complete with modern dance, rap music, and plenty of symbolism that I am afraid went over my head. The performance was at the Satirikon Theatre. To see pictures of the production, click here. Regardless of the difficulties,  I greatly enjoyed the performance and am hopeful that the next time I read King Lear I will have a new appreciation for this work of art.