An aging King Lear decides it’s time to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, Goneril, Regan & Cordelia. Goneril and Regan flatter their father with grand displays of love to win his affection, while Cordelia refuses to engage in her sister’s deception. Upset by Cordelia’s seeming lack of love, Lear disowns her and sets in motion a chain of events that leads to his downfall.
Kenneth Branagh will direct and play the title role only at Wyndham’s Theatre from 21 October, before it transfers to The Shed in NYC in 2024.
He will be joined by Mara Allen as Curan (Macbeth The Globe, The Night Watch The Original Theatre Company), Deborah Alli as Goneril (Best of Enemies West End, School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play Lyric Hammersmith), Raymond Anum as Burgundy (The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew The Globe), Melanie‑Joyce Bermudez as Regan (RADA graduate 2023, professional debut), Doug Colling as Edgar (Dear Evan Hansen West End, This England Sky), Dylan Corbett‑Bader as France (The Tattooist of Auschwitz Sky, We Were The Lucky Ones Hulu), Eleanor de Rohan as Kent (Hamlet KBTC RADA, Anatomy of A Scandal Netflix), Chloe Fenwick‑Brown as Oswald (professional debut), Joseph Kloska as Gloucester (The Winter’s Tale and Imperium RSC, Richard III Rose Theatre and Liverpool Playhouse), Corey Mylchreest as Edmund (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story and The Sandman Netflix), Hughie O’Donnell as Cornwall (Into The Woods The Cockpit), Caleb Obediah as Cornwall (Bridgerton Netflix, The Living Newspaper The Royal Court), Jessica Revell as Cordelia / The Fool (RADA graduate 2023, Tracy Beaker Returns, The Dumping Ground BBC).
Joining Kenneth Branagh as director, the creative team is made up of Jon Bausor (Set and Costume Designer), Lucy Skilbeck (Associate Director), Nina Dunn (Projection Designer), Paul Keogan (Lighting Designer), Ben and Max Ringham (Sound Designer and Composer), Aletta Collins (Choreographer), Lucy Bevan CDG and Emily Brockmann (Casting Directors), Bret Yount (Fight Director), Issy Snape and Michael Rouse (Assistant Directors) and Jim Leaver (Production Manager).
King Lear
Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre
Thu 30 Nov 2023
7:30 pm
Captioned by Stagetext
Synopsis: