Debs Newbold aims to make Shakespeare accessible to everyone, especially those who feel it’s not for them, in this solo retelling of King Lear.

Obviously very enthusiastic about her work as a storyteller, she begins by coaching us on conjuring up a storm to unleash later in the evening.

Then, with only a chair on the stage, Debs successfully manages to recreate the villains and heroes in King Lear as she demonstrates the themes and pitfalls of family dynamics: love, loyalty, betrayal, indifference, jealously and the ensuing power struggles – the usual foodstuffs of a Shakespearean saga.

With a vocabulary rich with descriptors, anyone who is attracted to writing and the beauty of words would almost certainly be inspired by her performances.

Her storytelling is very effective, the audience made uncomfortable by her detailed descriptions of Lear feeling cold to the bone which made us shiver, her body and gesticulations used during the most violent scenes of the play had our stomachs turning.

I certainly felt the loneliness too of Lear left abandoned and exposed to the wild and unkind elements.

But as we went past the 90 minute mark with no interval, my mind did begin to wonder and I was ready for the grand finale.

Purists would say you can’t rush Shakespeare and if you are a fan of spoken word acts you will enjoy Debs Newbold’s show.

If like me however, you are new to all this, it may take some getting used to.

Recreating the entire King Lear narrative on your own with just one prop to help you is no small task, yet Debs did so with charisma, all credit to her.

And as a storm raged furiously that night, so perhaps our conjuring worked!

NAOMI LANIGHAN 3.5/5