To mark its landmark 50th anniversary, Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre offers an extraordinary, electrifying staging of King Lear. Adapted and directed by Matthew Dunster, this gripping production brings two titan creative forces back to the in-the-round stage: Dunster, in his sixth engagement with the venue, and screen icon David Threlfall, returning to the Exchange after a 27-year absence. The result is a searing, unmissable theatrical event that reinvents Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy for a modern audience without losing an ounce of its power.
At the epicenter of this storm is Threlfall’s remarkable performance. Playing a monarch whose vanity blindfolds him to genuine affection, Threlfall portrays Lear’s descent into madness not merely as a loss of reason, but as a total collapse of human identity. From his opening vanity-driven division of the realm, where he famously misjudges truth for flattery, to his haunting, shattered state on the heath, Threlfall commands the space with brutal vulnerability. He deftly captures Goneril’s sharp warning – “You see how full of changes his age is” – delivering a portrait of a man unravelled by age, pride, and the agonising realisation of his own foolishness.
Dunster’s direction turns the intimacy of the Royal Exchange’s unique modules into a claustrophobic pressure cooker. The tragedy expands from a deeply personal domestic fracture into a terrifying geopolitical collapse, charting a world where family turns against family and moral rot swiftly devolves into war. The staging excels in showing how language and meaning disintegrate alongside Lear’s mind. As night falls and the metaphorical and physical tempests rise, the production employs atmospheric design and taut pacing to ensure every betrayal hits with force.
The supporting cast shines alongside Threlfall, skillfully navigating the treacherous currents of deception and loyalty that define the play. Yet, the emotional core remains firmly anchored in the tragic breakdown between parent and child, and the devastating cost of confusing hollow praise with real love.
Powerful, dark, and deeply moving, Matthew Dunster’s King Lear is a masterclass in classical theatre reimagined. Threlfall’s towering return to the Royal Exchange will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the defining performances of the theatre’s historic milestone year. It is a stunning, unforgettable exploration of frailty that will stay with you long after the final light fades.
For tickets and information, please visit https://www.royalexchange.co.uk/event/king-lear/
Reviewer: Brian Madden
Reviewed: 8th October 2026
North West End UK Rating: