King Lear
Wyndham's Theatre
4.9/5 based on 23 reviews (read reviews)- Booking until: Wednesday, 20 December 2023
King Lear description
Ian McKellen is one of those actors guaranteed to sell out seats at any theatre, any time of the year. His latest work, King Lear, sold out at Chichester Festival Theatre in autumn 2017. Now it transfers to the Duke of York Theatre in the West End and, with half of the stall seats removed for the show to take place, is guaranteed to sell out even faster.
Sir Ian comes to London to once again portray one of Shakespeare’s most famous and demanding kings for 100 performances from 11 July – 3 November 2018. He was last in the role of Lear at the New London Theatre in 2007, directed by Trevor Nunn, where he was nominated for an Olivier Award. This version of King Lear is directed by Jonathan Munby, who brought the production to Chichester last year.
The Duke of York Theatre holds special memory for McKellen, as it is where he made his West End debut back in 1964 in A Scent Of Flowers. The actor was last on the West End in 2016 with his long term acting contemporary Patrick Stewart. The two performed at Wyndham’s Theatre in No Man’s Land, but it was McKellen who grabbed the Olivier Award nomination, losing out to Jamie Parker, one of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’s record-breaking nine wins.
With its intimate staging, this contemporary, dystopian production of King Lear places audiences at the centre of the storm.Both family and state are plunged into a violent power struggle, with McKellen as Lear seeking to divide his kingdom between his three daughters. The results are met with shocking ends.
With half of the stall seats removed to make way for the stage, tickets (on sale now) are guaranteed to fly out the door.
Starring
Kenneth Branagh
