Lear Alone Reviews
“When Dehn utters lines such as: “You think I’ll weep? No, I’ll not weep”, and the sarcastic “I confess that I am old; age is unnecessary”, we see not a titanic monarch but the familiar distress and despair of the spurned rough sleeper. “
Calum Jacobs, The Observer: Read full review (pdf)
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“As he begins to speak Lear’s lines, the handsome and rugged Dehn transforms into character, taking him on a personal odyssey around London. Dehn’s Lear is softly spoken with acute moments of harshness, reminding us of the power he once had. Underneath there is vulnerability.”
Louise Burns, The Reviews Hub: Read full review
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“Leaving the retirement home ‘without permission’, Lear receives messages periodically on his phone, that state his absence has everyone worried. But as the messages are not from his own family, they are ignored. A sense of abandonment, pride and perceived loss of dignity can sting even the most stoic of people.”
“Setting Shakespeare’s plays in modern times is nothing new, but Lear Alone is an imaginative take of one of the Bard’s most popular plays, transposing a tale of mythical Albion to the harsh reality of Broken Britain.”
Michael Davis, Breaking The Fourth Wall: Read full review
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“Pared down, dishevelled, naked… this production moved me”
“I imagine if there were no cameras around DEHN, on-lookers would have seen only a crazy old man, mumbling to himself, at times raging, while living on the streets, and would go on with their day. However, the intensity with which DEHN stares at the camera at times, you feel he’s speaking directly to you, imploring you, admonishing you. It is devastating. If ever you could feel the plight of the homeless, the destitute, the suffering pierce your heart, it is here. As Lear says in the first episode (of five) “nothing can be made out of nothing”. And you sense it as a thread throughout. “
Mariam Mathew, London Pub Theatres: Read full review
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“The locations are beautifully chosen, and give a real sense of expanse, familiarity, and loss. This is a man who has retreated into his own darkness and fractured memories. His strength and dignity is obvious, but we fear for his safety and wish him back where he can be looked after. This project is a clever one, which takes the framing of a play about one thing, and makes it another.”
Louise Penn, LouReviews: Read full review
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“Throughout the piece, Dehn wears a coat, while everyone else is in summerwear, underlining his isolation. As the piece progresses Dehn becomes increasingly dishevelled, the crooked collar on his coat giving him a forlorn look. As he wanders through underground tunnels alone, the performance feels particularly poignant as his dialogue increasingly addresses the audience directly, giving the piece a lonely, but immersive feeling.”
Donna M Day, North West End: Read full review
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