“Rampersad has found some humour and laughter in her vision which I hadn’t noticed before. That’s positive as humour in a tragedy allows the audience to breathe a bit before the next emotional wallop.
At times, that laughter can diminish the intended emotional impact. An example of this occurs during a poignant scene where Gloucester and Lear share a conversation in a hovel and the former requests to kiss the latter’s hand. However, Gross’s response of suggesting to wipe his hand first undermines the emotional weight of the moment.”