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- King Lear
King Lear
by William Shakespeare
His most searching tragedy
- Director: Dominic Dromgoole
- Design: Jonathan Fensom
- Composer: Claire Van Kampen
- Choreographer: Sian Williams
Old King Lear, weary of royal duties, decides to break up his kingdom, divide it among his three daughters, and present the largest part to the one who loves him most. His two eldest daughters profess their love extravagantly, but young Cordelia refuses to flatter him. Enraged, he banishes her to France. But the old king's rash generosity is cruelly repaid. Cast out by his daughters onto a bare heath during a pitiless storm, Lear discovers too late the false values by which he has lived and devastatingly, the suffering common to all humanity.
Its tempestuous poetry shot through with touches of humour and moments of heart-rending simplicity, King Lear is one of the most far-reaching artistic explorations of the human condition.
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Discover the play
- Actors speak about their experiences of this production of King Lear
- Laughing at King Lear: An article by Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper that explores the role that laughter can play in tragedy.
- The Problem of the Heath: Gwilym Jones challenges preconceived ideas about the setting of the storm scene.
- Resources for King Lear from the 2001 production.
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Cast
Ben Bishop Burgundy
Sally Bretton Goneril
Kellie Bright Regan
David Calder Lear
Paul Copley Kent
Kurt Egyiwan Curan
Trystan Gravelle Edgar
Peter Hamilton Dyer Cornwall
Daniel Hawksford Edmond
Fraser James Albany
Danny Lee Wynter Fool
Paul Lloyd Old Man / Doctor
Kevork Malikyan Knight
Jodie McNee Cordelia
Joseph Mydell Gloucester
Ashley Rolfe Oswald
Beru Tessema France
Pamela Hay Mna Siubhail, a ballad singer
Arngeir Hauksson, Claire McIntyre, Nicholas Perry, Corrina Silvester Musicians
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Reviews
***** "Dominic Dromgoole gets the new season off to a cracking start with David Calder's breathtaking King Lear" Time Out Critics' Choice
**** "Fluent, fast-paced and admirably direct... Casting David Calder in the central role is Dromgoole’s masterstroke... a magnificent performance. Strongly recommended" The Independent
"Outstanding production of King Lear... An exceptionally humane and moving reading of the mightiest of Shakespeare’s plays" Daily Telegraph
"Magnificent Lear... Genuine five-star moments" The Guardian
"I found myself as overwhelmed by David Calder’s King Lear as any interpretation I have seen in 25 years... It is the rare, real, tragic thing" Evening Standard
"Dominic Dromgoole’s production of King Lear shows what makes this theatre so resounding for Shakespeare... goes down a storm under a darkening London sky" The Observer
"Fast, visceral and direct... The Himalayan zenith has seldom seemed so approachable" Daily Mail