Kirk / Lear


Here's something that was half-finished that I found on my Facebook, presented here because I think there is something to it.


It was a magic weekend of theatre-going. I saw Lear(s) at the Slate, produced by the Shakesperiment. And I saw Outdoor Trek: Day of the Dove at Blanche Lavizzo Park, produced by Hello Earth. There are connections between the two.
Lear(s) was a telling of King Lear, with the lead played by three different actors, one for each stage: tyrannical Lear, crazy Lear, and dying Lear. It was a genius move – a move that could only work live theater. Television nor film nor graphic novel could pull that off.
Tyrannical, crazy, absent
Leaderless
Even the well-meaning are overwhelmed
Collapse, chaos, betrayal
Day of the Dove, the same thing happens.

It is contrived that the crew of the Enterprise and the crew of a Klingon ship are all onboard the Enterprise. There is endless war among equally matched factions with no recognized leader over both.

No recognized leader. The Enterprise crew discovers that an otherworldly force that has taken over the ship. The force feeds on hatred and violence. The more of these that the crew and the Klingons display, the stronger force grows. When strong, the force manipulates the humans and the Klingons into more fighting. And heals them when they fall, sending them back into battle. At one point Kirk laments that these two opposing forces inhabiting this same small space are on the verge of being doomed to go on warring forever as their tiny world hurls itself rudderlessly through space.

And that's where I stopped.

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