King Lear has been subjected to various interpretations throughout history, depending upon the social and cultural contexts which exist at the time of performance. Contemporary directors of King Lear have recognised and ceased the opportunity to adapt certain aspects of the themes and characters, combined with staging and language techniques to highlight particular values relevant to modern society. This is clearly demonstrated in the 1988 BBC version directed by Jonathan Miller, and the contrasting interpretation of a 20th Century student. Both these respondents have taken Shakespeare's universal and timeless themes and adapted it to their age and culture to create a direct and forceful production of the tragic play, King Lear.
Staging.
Director Jonathan Miller used various techniques to successfully bring a scene to life to help convey his interpretation to the audience. He achieved this through casting, costuming, setting as well as physical staging. For the most part of the play, a single wooden bare stage was used, with no special attention to elaborate scenery or special lighting. This simple backdrop had impacting effects as the audience was compelled to focus on the direct and powerful performances of the actors.
Miller was also seen to adopt some of the traditional techniques of staging by removing the need of bringing down a curtain or lowering the lights to indicate a scene change. Rather he adopted a more subtle technique to create a continuous flow of action, to ensure the attention of the audience didn't stray. A scene clearly ended when the stage was cleared and a character or group entered. For example, after Edmund's soliloquy, the main screen was bare for 2 seconds before Gloucester entered in Act 1, Scene 2 to clearly depict a change in Scene and situation.
Extra props and backgrounds were sometimes used to help define a new circumstance or setting, however they too were kept at a bare minimum.
