4 out of 5 stars

"It's clear from the first moments that Hudson Valley Shakespeare's "King Lear" will take maximum advantage of its gorgeous new open-air theater's glorious hilltop setting. Lear enters striding regally up the ridge, leaving the ghost of his wife in the far distance; later, the tortured king flees naked down the same hill. Under the thoughtful direction of Davis McCallum, performances by Kurt Rhoads (Lear), Howard W. Overshown (Gloucester) and Nance Williamson (Fool) would shine even in a black box. But that would deprive us of the fiery mountain sunset, the grandest possible backdrop to the play's metaphorical storm. — Adam Z. Horvath

At Hudson Valley Shakespeare, in repertory through Sept. 17; hvshakespeare.org. (Review date: Aug. 30, 2026)