Lear at Pitlochry Festival Theatre*****

What struck me first and foremost about this production is its location. Surely the star of any show, Pitlochry Festival Theatre is nestled in hills above the River Tummel and a picturesque Victorian town which is the gateway to the Highlands – well worth the 11-hour trip! 

Now its newest artistic director (and multi-award winning actor – most recently star of Channel 4’s Tip Toe, a must watch) Alan Cumming is putting it firmly on the map of theatregoing in Scotland with an exciting programme ahead.

In sharp contrast to the beauty of its venue, this striking new production of Shakespeare’s tragedy is graphically retold, with violence, treachery and not a little blood.

But director Finn Den Hertog’s adaptation doesn’t rely on Gothic horror to shock his audience. For in casting a woman as the ruler of her country he brings into the mix a mother’s relationship with her daughters and, as this is acted out in modern dress, it brings us in mind of family life, with its jealousies, love and neediness, though, Heaven forbid, any family today should go to the depths to which this one descends.

Maureen Beattie has always been among my favourite actresses, especially now I live in Scotland, and her portrayal of Lear is extraordinary. A feisty ruler in her latter years, when it comes to dividing her country among her three daughters, she convincingly conveys her love for her children, her need to be loved by them, and her hurt when she is disappointed. But her piece de resistance is her decline into dementia, moments when she no longer knows where she is, until she runs around muddied and half naked (a brave feat for a 72-year-old). Heart-rending indeed.

Beattie is supported by a raft of top Scottish actors, among them Forbes Masson, last seen running amok with Cumming in the cult comedy The High Life – The Musical. As Gloucester he couldn’t be further from his flight attendant alter ego. This is the most tragic of roles, even to his having his eyes gouged out (perhaps a spoiler but then the faint-hearted need to know!), and yet in earlier scenes he does manage to add a touch of comedy. Also adding lightness to the production is Ailsa Davidson as a colourful Fool, also doubling up as Lear’s youngest and emotional daughter Cordelia – thankfully, this Lear doesn’t have to carry on her dead body. She has other, more modern, means.

Jenny Hulse as the cruel Goneril and Lindsey Campbell as a spoilt Regan both put in strong performances but, surprisingly, it was Dylan Read who stood out as Gloucester’s elder son Edgar, morphing into a hapless beggar to survive his half-brother’s treachery.

This is just the second production in Cumming’s season and already I’m looking forward to the next one, despite the length of travelling time.

Image: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

Lear is at Pitlochry Festival Theatre until Aug 1

pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com