The Chamber Cycle is ambitious to say the least — four consecutive plays for twenty-five almost-consecutive days — and this Herculean project is a must-see for any serious fan of Shakespeare and/or tragedy. The central idea is to eliminate any part of the script which does not directly involve the main character.
Their approach tends to minimalism, but not excessively so. Their stage and props are pieces of coloured cloth, their costumes smooth and black. The room has the tranquil discipline of dojo, the lighting is low and intimate, colours are carefully employed, and the overall effect is both beautiful and haunting.
This crew is an example to young actors everywhere, the production is overflowing with believable physicality and heartfelt misery as each tragedy rolls on. The same actor somewhat incredibly plays each protagonist and if you watch all four parts, as you may well be tempted to do, the unity of the plays becomes clear and thus their vision is a remarkable success in its execution.
Of the four Chamber parts, Lear seems to resist adaptation the most. The scenes hop around more frequently and so there is more lost fidelity due to the soft, almost transition-less passage of time and space which they have so deliberately and effectively confected. Luckily this is broken up by a bright and invigorating rendering of the Fool.
Lear rounds-off the four-piece epic brilliantly — it’s probably best enjoyed by seeing the other parts first, but there’s the rub: by this stage you may be too saturated to take it all in. Perhaps the Chamber Cycle will be a victim of its own success by demanding too much of the audience.
4/5 
Bernie Greenwood
