Donald Harvey Marks

Review of Chester Theatre Group

Very enjoyable Community Theater. All of their Pro...

Very enjoyable Community Theater. All of their Productions are first rate. The stage and Theatre are small and in the round . The acting is good and physically close to the audience and in some cases it seems like the actors were addressing the audience, which gave it a nice touch. Scenery and costumes were minimalist and of that time, not adapted to the present. King Lear is always a difficult production because, as Shakespeare wrote and intended, almost all of the characters are unpleasant and the general direction and ending don't turn out well. I thought at first if more background had been given on the king and his daughters that it might have helped understand or accept the direction but that level of context was really not in the original writing. Like life itself, you have to take it as played. In sum, a true Shakespearean experience.