King Lear

Sam Waterston is the latest celebrity to wear Lear's crown (following recent turns by Derek Jacobi and Kevin Kline). And it sits fairly well on him, as he staggers around James Macdonald's severe, minimalist production of Shakespeare's (overdone) tragedy. Sadly, the cast is very uneven, with the exception of John Douglas Thompson as a virile, earthy Kent.—David Cote