The director Ninagawa said he does not decorate stage much when he get good performers. This "King Lear"'s stage settings are simple, that make scenes plain and clear, while Japanese audience can get sufficient reality from real English performers.

Since real English actors on Shakespeare's play, it seems Ninagawa doesn't want to distort original "King Lear", but partly emphasize it. For instance, Cordelia wears her hair in tight braids, her dress is white with no ornament, and much younger than her gorgeously dressed sisters. Though she doesn't look like a princess but a child in night- gown, her purity and anti-coquet character displayed clearly.

Performances basically controled to compose scenes in static harmony. It is new to me that actors who are not speaking are standing still expressionless in many scenes. Sometimes they are perfectly still like stop-motion, It's good to concentrate attention on speaking actors. But sometimes they stir without express anything, then I wonder whether they are acting or get bored on the stage. by such times, I felt a wall between stage and audience, until Edger broke it by assuring enthusiasm.

Edger, Edmund,and Fool tear static harmony of scenes with animated performances. Edger and Edmund stand out as a pair of hero and villain with fierce emotions. Fool moves like a large cat belongs to Lear. And Goneril performs bewitchingly, between static and animated, exactly fit to attract audience and murge into scenes at the same time.

Sir Nigel Hawthorne 's King Lear does not display much hot temper, rather looks like a stubborn father with a little reminds of old warrior days. Reign or retire, there is no great gap felt, so Lear's madness felt no tragic, but a necessary fate.

In the middle of the storm, (stones falling from above) Lear's expression is vague, and moves like he need the storm, to refresh his old brain by severe environment. Mad Lear looks somewhat happy that contrastive to grief of Kent and Gloucester. It means perfect solitude of Lear and it's not tragic, real tragic comes with death of Cordelia when he at last come back to earth? Frantic death of Lear before dead bodies of his three daughters is very touching.

This play is said as a cultural fusion of English and Japanese. Sometimes beautiful match there, sometimes bizarre. Sword fight of Edgar vs.Edmund is most successful of it. (the move is near japanese style, but rather awkward,so it arouse forceful reality along with western broad swords.) Nor-masks that Fool uses are overloaded tools while he draws much attention by his acrobatic move. And Japanese drum sounds rather unfit. I think Japanese things should be cutted to within necessity that really making fusion with English things.