In this YouTube review video to a King Lear production, Case Little speaks on both the content and on the presentation of the play. He focuses on King Lear’s body language and facial expressions in the first scene of the play. The king’s arm movements were described as “flailing around”. Case Little makes a connection between the king’s loss of control over his arm movements and facial expressions with his eventual loss of control over his kingdom and to his mental deterioration which was a fascinating comparison. On my end, what I got out of Anthony Hopkin’s portrayal of the king as seen in class is a childish king who seeks compliments. To me, Hopkins was trying to portray the king’s as an immature narcissist. Both portrayals are very valid yet the former speaks more to me. What Case Little saw at his play marries the king’s immaturity with his overarching “descent” and that is what creates a meaningful play.
Case Little also spoke about the lighting & sound effects as the play switched between settings which was also interesting. He mentioned that the entire theatre was dimmed and stormy sounds were played through the entire theatre during one of the scenes. The extra effects are what lifts a play from its static state on paper and brings it to life on stage. It even breaks the fourth wall in a way because the audience is no longer watching a scene from outside of the “box”. Instead, the sound and lighting brings the audience inside the box and creates a truly immersive experience similar to that of a 3D movie.
Based on Case Little’s analysis of the King’s facial expressions and overall loss of control, I wouldn’t be surprised if he took a theatre or film class. He’s able to focus on the big picture and also on the little details in character development. I looked into his upload history and found a few other videos reviewing other plays. It seems he likes watching plays and sharing his thoughts with the world.