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So you think Shakespeare is boring, eh? Vermont Stage Company's new production of King Lear will quickly dispel that notion as it explodes onto the FlynnSpace stage.

Fights, betrayal, backstabbing, bloodshed, love, sex, madness - King Lear is a complex family drama set in a nondescript time period.

Vermont composer and percussionist, Brian Johnson provides powerful original music which adds to the dark mood of the show. A one-man band, Johnson masterfully manipulates a combination of odd instruments from behind the stage, including his own voice with a healthy dose of reverb.

King Lear plays at the FlynnSpace April 23 - May 4th.

Music: Brian Johnson

Location: Flynn Space, Burlington Vermont

Seven Days theater critic Elisabeth Crean reviews the play this week.