Modern, physical theatre reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragedy is poetic and affecting, with a new focus on ageing and caregiving.

While Shakespeare’s King Lear is ostensibly a play about the dangers of pride, Raw Material’s new adaptation of the classic instead shifts the focus to his madness, and the difficulty of caregiving for one whose mind has gone besotted. In this version, adapted by Singaporean theatremaker Ramesh Meyyappan, Lear is instead transposed to a more modern setting, and dropping the ‘King’ from its title, reimagines him as a war veteran falling into the throes of madness and dementia, rendered almost completely deaf from shell shock, and simultaneously caught between the trauma of his past, and paranoia of the present.

Directed by Orla O’Louglin, the performance venue at the SOTA Studio Theatre is controlled, a small dirt-filled circle where all the action takes place, like a tiny arena, symbolising how Lear perceives every interaction as a potential site of battle. Around the set are sandbags, perhaps a reminder of trench warfare Lear might have experienced, the memory of conflict and death always there, even in this domestic space of his home. In a similar vein, Meyyappan, as Lear, is clad in a drab coat and thick-soled shoes, protecting himself from the elements and everyone around him, while his daughters, Goneril (Nicole Cooper), Regan (Amy Kennedy) and Cordelia (Draya Maria) instead wear simple, single-coloured dresses while barefoot, exasperated at their father being difficult.

At the heart of Lear is its audacity for completely throwing out Shakespeare’s original script, existing instead as a wordless theatre production. Gone are any of the poetics and lyrics of the Bard, instead transmuting them into precise, keen physical theatre, Meyyappan’s specialty. Meyyappan’s Lear is simultaneously pitiful and terrifying, a man with the potential to become violent and fly into a rage when one least expects, while regressing into a childlike mindset as he makes snow angels while lying on his back, a massive, innocent grin spread across his face. You see the fear in his soul when he eyes his daughters with suspicion, unsure if they are plotting to steal his inheritance and assets, or genuinely trying to help him with the pills they feed him, reacting with cruelty and mockery when he mimics them instead of acceding to their requests.

In that sense, this portrayal of madness and old age feels shockingly realistic, especially for anyone who’s ever had to care for an older person, reminiscent of the frustration and confusion one feels at all the attempts to rebuff help, no matter how pure one’s intentions are. The daughters try to keep a safe distance from their father, arguing with each other and throwing their hands up in the air from frustration on how best to proceed, side-eyeing him as he goes off on another tirade, where something as inexplicable as taking off his hat triggers his moods. It feels like an impossible task even getting him to stay calm and in one place for too long, and your heart goes out to his daughters for putting up with him for so long.

As mentioned, the space itself is a site ripe for battle, resulting in several altercations with Lear between Goneril and Regan, at times pushing them to the ground, all well-choreographed by fight director Emma Claire Brightlyn. The small space often feels claustrophobic, and David Paul Jones’ compositions, while beautiful, are certainly also anxiety-inducing, with the way they amp up the tense atmosphere. As a physical theatre show that relies heavily on delusion, it can be difficult to keep track of where reality ends and begins, especially when the daughters seem to delight in gifts showered upon them, seemingly scheming up plans to destroy Lear – or is it all in his head? All in all, it works well to make us feel constantly uneasy watching the show unfold, while its repetition only drives home the endless cycle they’re trapped in – the daughter obligated to care for their father, Lear refusing to hand over his dignity and admit his weakness.

Lear then, both simplifies the original story by reducing its plot to just its core family conflict, while utilising that laser focus to amplify its inherent themes of ageing, madness and the struggles of caregiving. It remains a tragedy for how Lear can never overcome his pride, allowing it to consume him and lead to the destruction of both him and his family, his vision clouded by his own muddled perspective. While some segments remain unclear, just knowing that one’s own perception cannot be trusted is enough for anyone to go insane, and as he struggles with guilt, anxiety and a broken mind, Lear’s final plea to the heavens results in our sympathies, his world collapsing into a flurry of ash and dust while we watch a man unravel before our eyes.

Meyyappan has long established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the physical theatre world with whimsical solo work, but Lear takes his craft to a higher, more sophisticated level yet, seeing him grow and develop as an artist to showcase powerful stories with the help and backing of companies assisting him. Lear cuts straight to raw emotion, making the familiar unfamiliar, and forces us to confront the painful, often silent reality of decline, and by its end, makes it clear that the deepest tragedies are not always fought on battlefields, but in the intimate, relentless struggle to hold onto love when memory, reason, and trust slip away.

Photo credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

LEAR played from 23rd to 25th May 2025 at the SOTA Studio Theatre.

The 2025 Singapore International Festival of Arts runs from 16th May to 1st June 2025. Tickets and more available here

Production Credits:

Orla O’Louglin | Director Alasdair Hunter | Associate Director Emma Claire Brightlyn | Fight Director Ramesh Meyyappan | Writer & Cast (Lear) Nicole Cooper | Cast (Goneril) Amy Kennedy | Cast (Regan) Draya Maria | Cast (Cordelia) Anna Orton | Designer David Paul Jones | Composer Derek Anderson | Lighting Designer Lu Kemp | Dramaturg Gillian Garrity | Executive Producer Margaret-Anne O’Donnell | Executive Producer Ali Low | Production Manager Naomi Stalker | Company Stage Manager Alisa Munro | Costume Supervisor Gerrie Victor | Sound Supervisor Catherine King | BSL Support