The performances too are a slightly mixed bag, though not detrimentally so. Branagh, as one might expect, shines as Lear. He is a natural speaker of Shakespearean English, making it feel like he was born speaking this way. The younger cast deliver strong performances though some do labour over the language in parts, but uniformly deliver a clear and understandable delivery of the text. Revell excels as both The Fool and Cordelia.  Deborah Alli and Melanie-Joyce Bermudez are a little one-noted as Goneril and Regan, respectively. Mylchreest presents an effectively scheming hot-headed Edmund though his hatred for his loving family is never effectively understood. The other primary characters are played effectively well, though alongside Branagh, most come across as slightly on the back foot.

All said and done, this is an exciting if flawed production. It’s a Lear for action movie fans – there’s the cinematic set design, the truncated text, action a plenty and even gore (Gloucester’s blinding causing a number of gasps in the auditorium). But, in doing all this it loses its essence. Things happen, but the what’s and wherefores are missing, leaving you with questions,  an unexpected emotional void. This Lear is exhilarating and slightly disappointing, but well worth seeing.