CityLife

Lear's Daughters @ Buxton Festival Fringe

WE ALL know about King Lear, but what about the Queen? And whax  t really happened to those three princesses - Goneril, Regan and Cordelia? And what about the King's driving desire, above all, for a son?

These are some of the intriguing questions explored in Lear's Daughters, devised by Elaine Feinstein, of Manchester Metropolitan University and the Women's Theatre Group.

The three daughters, engagingly played respectively by Lucy Egerton, Rebecca Wright and Aisling Caffrey, turn to their old nanny (Abigail Andjel) for stories about their birth, their mother, their upbringing and their father's abusive ways.

Their mother, forced by Lear to keep trying to produce a son, died in the cause. And his daughters didn't escape his dubious attentions. Nor did the nanny.

The story is held together by The Fool, who acts as narrator, joker, king and queen - an assured performance by Verity May Henry.

And it makes for an affecting and imaginative hour's entertainment - an encouraging debut for Sidetracked Theatre, also an offshoot of the MMU School of Theatre.

Lear's Daughters is on again tonight (July 12). The Buxton Festival Fringe runs until July 24. You can get more information on all of the shows and other performances, here.