1&2: Photos by Zane Williams; 3: Photo by Robert E. Josephs

Review Excerpts

“‘KIM’S LEAR ABOVE REST OF APT CAST’…Kim’s Lear disintegrates physically and mentally before our eyes as the actor disappears into another of the great characters he has played on the APT stage. His king becomes enfeebled, physically fumbling his way through the hell he set in motion by dividing his empire among his daughters. Kim’s mouth quivers and his voice wavers as Lear realizes how he has wronged Cordelia, the one daughter who truly loves him. The Kim-watchers in the APT audience will be excited and moved by his performance.…”
               —Damien Jaques, THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL (6/25/1989)

“‘AMERICAN PLAYERS’ ‘KING LEAR’ ACHIEVES COMPLETE SUCCESS’…The title role is one of the greatest challenges of the stage and Randall Duk Kim, refreshed after a year’s sabbatical, limns every dark and light nuance, every roar and whimper of the assignment.…”
               —Jay Joslyn, MILWAUKEE SENTINEL (6/26/1989)

“‘APT LAUNCHES NEW SEASON WITH FORCEFUL ‘KING LEAR’’…Kim’s performance, like so many during his more than nine-year history with APT, was a strong argument for his stated goal as artistic director to bring the plays to life without forcing a particular interpretation on the audience. Kim’s method is to respond with the greatest intensity, and the greatest subtlety, to each line, to each particular interaction and situation in the text, and allow the play to establish its own rhythm and moment. That it worked so well in this production is tribute not only to Kim but to a strong cast who apparently had similar aims in mind.…In his performance, Kim revealed a Lear that Shakespeare wanted us not only to sympathize with but also to view with a hard, objective look.…”
               —Steve Groark, WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL (6/26/1989)

“‘APT INTERPRETATION OF KING LEAR A PRODUCTION NOT OT BE MISSED’…Watching ‘King Lear’ four weeks into the. Run, one sees how the cogent troupe, with Randall Duk Kim at the helm, has unified and grown strong. So when the near-capacity house offered a prolonged, vigorous standing ovation for Sunday night’s performance, it was not only Kim who drew accolades. Undoubtedly, Kim’s is the most incisive acting. Kim shows his mettle not just by nailing physical attributes of quaking arm, bitter glances, assertive or timid strides, but in the psychological integration of anger, confusion, regret. It is a performance not to be missed.…”
               —Karen Prager, THE CAPITAL TIMES (7/25/1989)