Tom Fulton and I co-directed this piece. Ordinarily that would be a disaster, but TQF seem to be generally on the same wave length in the too few collaborations we have been able to manage, and this was no exception. I staged many of Tom's scenes while he did the bulk of the play. My job was the easier. It's very easy to direct a genius. The results were surprisingly unified.

We did a bit of nontraditional casting: Laura Perotta as Edmund, eg. Audiences in Cleveland were more than open to the whole thing.

This maiden effort got us a lot of favorable advance publicity and the success of this run encouraged us to expand the season the following year, which proved to be a mistake. We spread out our audience over too long a period of time and ended up losing a bit of momentum. We needed to heed the old maxim that one must walk before one can run. One's hindsight truly is 20-20. But Lear was truly a hit:

REVIEW:

Cleveland Jewish News:

Fulton is masterful in title role of CSU production of 'King Lear' by Fran Heller

Of parents and children, the tragedy of "King Lear" has the ring of eternal truth. In the Cleveland Theatre Company's earnest and impassioned production of Shakespeare's classic at Cleveland State University's Factory Theatre, those truths take on renewed meaning.

The story reverberates on two levels: that of Lear and his daughters, and the Earl of Gloucester and his sons. In renouncing his kingship, Lear has decided to apportion his kingdom, but not before each of ths three daughters has openly declared her filial devotion and love to him. While the wicked Regan and Goneril acquiesce, Cordelia, Lear's favorite, refuses, and is banished along with the Earl of Kent (who comes to her rescue) for her seeming infidelity.

Meanwhile, Gloucester's illegitimate son, Edmund, loathing his bastardy, plots the seeds of his half-brother's disfavor with their father. Easily duped, the old man renounces Edgar, who seeks asylum in the forest as the crazed Tom of Bedlam.

As the wheel of fortune turns, some wrongs are righted. But the innocent, like Lear and Cordelia, also suffer.

The word "lear" (akin to lore) means learning or instruction and it is in the painful process of acquiring wisdom that the king finally learns what it means to be fully human.

Seeing versus blindness is a theme that runs throughout this rich drama. Gloucester, like Lear, is blind to his children; he must lose his sight in order to "see the light" of Edgar's innocence and love. Lear similarly blinded by his elder daughters' false flattery, could not "see" that it was Cordelia who loved him best.

Thomas Q. Fulton Jr., who co-directs this production with Wayne S. Turney, has undertaken a daunting task in "King Lear," a challenge that is met in many instances during the three-hour, 45-minute performance.

While the play satisfies on numerous levels, it is the sheer weight and magnitude of Fulton's Lear that carries this production. Breathing passion and soul into an extraordinarily difficult role, Fulton's ability to convey the old king's array of emotions is an artistic triumph. The ease with which he moves from bull-like rage into a simpering childishness makes one's heart break for his "being more sinned aginst than sinning."

The only flaw in Fulton's masterful performance is his portrayal of Lear's descent into madness, which is not readily discernible at first. Not until the final act, when Lear appears sheathed in myrtle and flowers, does his madness become apparent.

When a keening Lear carries the dead Cordelia on stage in the final scene, his wail is so piercing, it is hard to believe such a sound could emanate from a single human voice. For Fuylton's interpretation of this great tragic figure, I could easily sit through the long production again.

Wayne S. Turney turns in an equally fine performance as the fool. Turney's mellifluous voice infuses Shakespeare's language with the poetry and resonance it demands, and his impish ways make h im both the perfect fool and fount of wisdom.

As the oily, Iago-like Edmund, Laura Perotta is excellent. Her dynamic portrayal of Edmund proves that good acting is genderless.

Fin performances are also rendered by Anthony Walsh as Lear's steadfast servant, Kent; Mark Mayo as Oswald (Goneril's servant and lover); and Mitchell Fields as the Earl of Gloucester. When Fields and Lear hug each other like two lost and frightened children, it is deeply moving.

The Factory Tehatre allows for an intimacy that larger arenas might preclude. But warts stick out more glaringly and this production , which demands a huge cast, has several of its own. As Goneril and Regan, Annie Kitral and Sheila E. Maloney, respectively, get off to a slow start, especially Kitral, whossse voice is weak. At first, the two women lack sufficient menace. They become more convincing in their mutual jealousies over Edmund and their overt hostilities toward their respective husbands.

As Tom (Edgar in disguise), Jeremy Alan Richards is not madman enough. Nor is his reaction to his father's blindness sufficiently agonized.

The costumes, which resemble rags, are off-putting. While the symbolism is reaadily apparent (Lear goes from riches to rags, whereby he gains his humanity), for this critic they were a distraction.

The technical aspects of this production brim with integrity, for a symbolism and beauty of language notwithstanding, "King Lear" is also great spectacle. Thunder and lightning rock the stage during the storm scene while fights are filled with blood and gore. One of the most gripping is when Cornwall rips out Gloucester's eyes, his bloody hand casting them across the floor. Horridly grotesque, but great theater. The fight scene between Edmund and Oswald is also excellent.

A minimalist set serves the production well. While fully shrouded figures move the furniture from scene to scene, they also become the trees in the forest where Edgar has fled. It is a clever ploy.

There were too few people at Sunday's matinee performance. This production deserves better. "King Lear" runs in repertory with "I Stand Before YOu Naked" (reviewed next week) through July 30. The Factory Theatre is located at E. 24th St. And Chester Avenue.