WJ S*T*A*G*E’s fall production of King Lear was a wonderful treat. The famous tragedy was performed well and gave the viewer a lovely, albeit depressing and violent narrative.

The play is about an aging monarch who, in his senility, decides to split his kingdom into three pieces and give one piece each to his two malevolent daughters, Regan and Goneril, and one to his loyal daughter, Cordelia.

When Regan tells him the truth about his own insanity, Lear disowns her and give splits his kingdom in half instead. However, he is immediately betrayed by his other two daughters and he goes mad with anger.

This wonderful story is made even more wonderful by the skilled actors in the production. Junior Matt Krug, who plays the King, steals nearly every scene he is in.

He is hunched and haunted, and in the fourth and fifth acts his growing insanity is conveyed through amazing monologues

His daughters, Regan (junior Sophie Meade) and Goneril (senior Ellie Borzilleri) are cold as ice, and their cruelty to the King and to each other is very fun to watch.

In an amazing performance, the Earl of Gloucester (senior Mateo Williamson) gives an eye-popping performance, especially in Act 3 Scene 7, a harrowing and well-done scene in which Gloucester is tortured by Regan and the Duke of Cornwall.(senior Adam Moskowitz)

But the real star of the play is the Fool (senior Thalia Patrinos) who makes nearly all of the first act hilarious and surreal with her out-of-place antics and endearing sock puppet side kick. I can’t even begin to describe my disappointment when she disappeared for almost the entire second half of the play.

Other accolades have to go the Set Crew for making a versatile, multi-tiered stage and to the ensemble for staying stone still for most of Act Five and adding some seriousness to the setting as soldiers in the second half of the play.