King Lear Archives - North West End UK

9Oct

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

King Lear – Royal Exchange

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 collaps...

7Sep

By NewsdeskNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

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 i...

Royal Exchange Announces 50th Anniversary Season

16Sep

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Royal Exchange Announces 50th Anniversary Season

Announcing her first season of work on the 49th birthday of the Theatre, Selina Cartmell, Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange Theatre, welcomed Sir Tom Courtenay, after 24 years, back to the theatre to celebrate its iconic history alongside a brilliant group of other artists connected to the Exchange, to launch A HOMECOMING - a season that celebrates the theatres past and re-defines its future. A HOMECOMING, Selina Cartmell’s inaugural season for the Royal Exchange’s 50th Anniversary includes: •Selina Cartmell opens the season with ROAD by Jim Cartwright, starring Johnny Vegas, Lucy Beaumont and Shobna Gulati, with a special appearance on film by Sir Tom Courtenay, his 17th time performing at the Exchange since its opening in 1976. •PRIVATE LIVES by Noël Coward directed by Bla...

25Feb

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

King Lear – Almedia Theatre

Tour de force contextualising King Lear in the here and now. Yaël Farber's directed recreations of Shakespeare have become synonymous with memorable action from the actors and actresses, moody lights and deep witnessing of self and others. The earthy elements of the wind, rain and soil are brought alive on stage with outstanding craftsmanship. Max Perryment's music is brought centre stage by the talented actors and actresses who break into songs and by the infinite variety of instruments on stage and in the background. The violinist often contoured in inverted postures, usually a background in position but centre stage by adding additional flavourful notes. Set designer Merle Hensel's delicate shimmering cascading fine chains curtain provides an aesthetic background...

1Nov

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

King Lear – Wyndham’s Theatre

Written in 1604, King Lear is sandwiched between Measure For Measure, Othello and Macbeth, a period in the bard’s writing dedicated to history and tragedy. 419 years later, and following many extraordinary performances, how can Kenneth Branagh and team bring something different to their production? And here is where I feel that some modern productions fall foul, the need to modernise and bring today’s razzamatazz into the equation. Call me old fashioned, call me a Shakespeare prude, but I want to see, hear, and feel the language, the small nuances that a blank stage can offer, and when I hear the words spoken, allow them to touch me, without the hinderance of external factors introduced by an over eager director wishing to put their own mark on Shakespeare’s work. S...

18Jun

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

King Lear – Shakespeare’s Globe

An epic event overtakes The Shakespeare’s Globe this season in King Lear as the long-awaited return of director Helena Kaut-Howson, 25 years after debuting Kathryn Hunter in the role of King Lear the duo have reunited to place the production in the grandest of arenas. And even more of a treat is to spot Artistic Director, Michelle Terry as the Cordelia/ Lear’s Fool as she handles the text beautifully- we are watching a piece where masters of this craft manoeuvre us through a very complex tragedy with grace and fine tuning to each line spoken. It was a pleasure to see the excitement of the cast- the energy of the space was heightened by the meaning of placing this production back on a stage 25 years on. I wonder how the creatives tackled this piece differently, which parts hold different me...

13Oct

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

REVIEWS

King Lear – Scenesaver Online

Jo Emery's modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s play starts off with Lear as a CEO of a property development empire who is in the process of stepping down from his leading role and is dividing the business up between his three daughters. Before he does this though, he sets them a challenge to see how they can express their love for him. The two elder daughters give extremely flattering answers in praise of their father, but the youngest daughter, who actually loves him the most, remains silent as she cannot put into words the depth of feeling she has for her father. This greatly angers the king, and he banishes the youngest daughter and divides the business between the two eldest daughters. As the narrative develops, we are introduced to more characters whose individual stories are woven ...