And so it was, in a heatwave, that I joined the production of King Lear for an evening performance on Tuesday 12th August 2022, and for a subsequent matinee the following day. I was deputising for another trumpet player, who was also the musical director. I was invited to watch the show prior to my involvement in it and I also shadowed the musicians for a later performance. I had a rehearsal with the small ensemble comprising trumpet (doubling natural trumpet and hunting horn), soprano saxophone (doubling bass clarinet, tin whistle, drum, and bird call), two trombones (doubling all sorts), and percussion. The rehearsal was both for my benefit and for the benefit of the deputy musical director. Sadly, however, the deputy musical director who I had rehearsed with was indisposed, and the musical direction became a team effort. The regular musicians did a great job in ensuring that the other musician who was covering for absence and I knew when to play (fortunately the other dep had done a few earlier shows).

My involvement began on stage, with pre-show music. We played a piece by Bendinelli, Lilliburlero, and a Prologue by the award-winning in-house composer Claire van Kampen. A second Prologue and a Branle followed. All the musicians wore red tunics (doublet and hoes), metal breastplates, and various hats and helmets (mine was a very heavy metal number). I also had to wear a belt with brass hooks on it, on which I had to hook the natural trumpet when I was playing the modern trumpet, and vice versa. 

This production of King Lear began with a trumpet fanfare and all the musicians acted as an on-stage royal escort in the opening act. I had to stay alert to my cue, before heralding the King’s departure from the stage. 

I returned to the stage in a different guise in a hunt scene, and Richard Henry and I played cow horns on stage to accompany the scene. There were many other intervening cues—too numerous to mention—and the four-hour show felt to pass by very quickly. 

I played an unaccompanied modern trumpet solo in the penultimate cue (others joined in on a second verse of the melody) and I played in the fast-paced final jig—both themes appeared throughout the show (first played by King Lear on a tin whistle) and were re-stated at the end of Claire van Kampen’s score. It was a great pleasure to perform on stage and in the Upper Tiring House (and on the balcony) at Shakespeare’s Globe again. 

It was interesting to note that some of the musicians had performed in a previous production of King Lear, and they found themselves flinching at ‘old cues’ which were not part of the current production. I’m surprised there isn’t a term for this in theatre-speak: past production phantom flinching or something like that! 

When I came to see the show as an audience member and to shadow the musicians, the show featured the inimitable Kathryn Hunter as King Lear. Sadly, she was indisposed for the shows I was deputising in. Max Keeble, one of the cast members, took to the stage at the beginning to explain that, in the spirit of live performance, Helen Schlesinger would read the role of King Lear. His brilliant explanation made the audience feel part of the ‘show must go on’ spirit—and she truly did an excellent job. In fact, there was definitely an element of thrill as she read the script: I often hear musicians talking about the thrill of sight-reading a show, and this is precisely that excitement in acting form.

Phenomenal stuff from #HelenSchlesinger today in #KingLear @The_Globe incredible! pic.twitter.com/K7LofGyJym

— Grace Vaughan (@GracieVaughan) July 13, 2022