King Lear – The Crucible, Sheffield

Widely regarded as one of the greatest pieces of literature of all time, King Lear triumphantly took to the Crucible stage this weekend just gone and is preparing to enjoy a further two weeks playing to packed out audiences. If tonight is anything to go by, a trip to the theatre will be a worthwhile one.

Director Titas Halder, supported by Vicky Moran and Marc Small in associate and assistant director roles respectively, makes it so much of this show is only as good as its actors – arguably aptly Shakespearean – which is welcome. That is also not to say they are shy of imposing bold, abstract creative conceits. Halder leans on imagery of eclipses, using the sun and the moon’s veiling involvement with one another to draw parallels to the familial discontent that cannot escape orbit and is forced to warp within the shadow of its shape. There is also an interestingly anachronistic quality to the aesthetics of this production. Whilst it operates within a relatively coherent temporal realm for the most part, there are some examples where the creative team have not allowed time to dictate much of the production’s expression. Playback of harmonising acapella voices underscore the play’s violent climax with a shimmering, modern quality. Richard Kent’s set and costume design is minimal yet formidable, with a foreboding circle haunting the stage our players tread across. There is at times a jarring quality to the anachronism deployed. Whilst King Lear’s long leather jacket is oddly befitting a jaded and disjointed royal, the Fool spends the first half of the work adorning what is clearly an Adidas (or, giving the benefit of the doubt, at least Adidas-inspired) jacket that has seemingly been modified to suit the rest of the attires worn with broad shoulders and a dated baggy quality. Things like this can be waved away but when the Fool is also wearing tight-fitting, high-rise Adidas trainers often worn by boxers or dancers, you realise that explicit branding in this work is nothing but an unwelcome distraction.

On Sarah Angliss’ composing and Emma Laxton’s sound design, there is a delightfully ambient and disconcerting quality to much of her work. The play is scored by sounds of the forest, ominous hums and the sounds of worlds changing. It’s sparse and cleverly not overdone. Similarly, Ryan Day’s lighting design offers a simple but effective approach and the show is potently drowned in muddy browns, greys and blacks – making the stark white flashes of lightning and the warm glows of orange alerting and pertinent.

As mentioned, much of this production’s merit lies with its cast. Ian McDiarmid’s Lear is intense, arresting and beautifully three-dimensional; creating a real figure out of the iconic character and balancing comedy with tragedy with great precision. David Birrell’s Gloucester is equally compelling and potent, and Justine Kehinde’s Regan is masterful. Fode Simbo is extremely generous in their highly-focussed and composed performance as the antagonistic, tragic son Edmund. A unique and welcome casting in this work is acclaimed dancer Max Revell. Whilst their wondrous and fantastically impressive body movements will likely capture much of the audience’s attention, don’t let it be forgotten that Revell has some serious acting chops as well, creating a very intelligent performance in the Fool. Credit also ought to be afforded to Halder and movement director Yarit Dor in their efforts to use Revell’s excellent transformative physical talents as a vehicle for storytelling.

King Lear is running at the Crucible until Saturday 19^th September. Tickets can be found at www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

Reviewer: Louis Thompson

Reviewed: 4th September 2026

North West End UK Rating: