KING LEAR

NT Live: KING LEAR

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Academy Award® winner Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty) returns to the Olivier Theatre’s grand thrust stage at the National Theatre, to direct the two-time Olivier Award winner, Simon Russell Beale (Timon of Athens, Collaborators) in the title role of Shakespeare’s dark tragedy about the last days of a mad dictator. This cosmic story of ancient Britons, is attached to a framework that unashamedly provides the audience with a very violent and brutal modern dress production, that unexpectedly contained full frontal male nudity.

‘Skyfall’ director Sam Mendes’s highly-anticipated return to the NT, is with Simon Russell Beale’s ‘extraordinary’ KING LEAR. Feeling his years, the weary KING LEAR (Simon Russell Beale) plans to divide his realm between his three daughters, entirely in his own self-interest, and tells them that just the one who declares the greatest love for him, will win the lion’s share. Goneril (Kate Fleetwood) and Regan (Anna Maxwell Martin) bravely attempt to outdo one another with extravagant praise. However his favourite (the youngest daughter), is disgusted by their behaviour, so Cordelia (Olivia Vinall), refuses to say anything.

KING LEAR is typically chosen as a leading actor’s eventual end-of-career final date with destiny as a role for far into the future, as this is the one gigantic character role, that a great actor may aspire to play eventually. Simon Russell Beale decided to finally made the role his own, after his 53rd birthday. Fortunately, Simon Russell Beale is NOT leading man material, and has always chosen those roles that are character-driven, plus this actor has that wonderful and very chameleon-like ability to transcend his own distinctive physicality to totally transform himself during the play; starting as a the most powerful man in the kingdom, who seems to shrink visibly after interval, with his growing grief and his growing madness from the death of his three daughters.

Approximate running time – 3hrs 25mins including interval.

National Theatre Live – Season Five (2013-2014)

In selected cinemas from 21st June 2014.   There will be only three Premium Special Event Cinema Screenings of KING LEAR  at 1:00pm Saturday, Sunday, Monday at the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace, Cremorne .

http://www.sharmillfilms.com.au/?page_id=2197

 

Please note that a  2 disc DVD set of the National Theatre’s 50th anniversary celebrations is now available to direct import from the United Kingdom. Please check their official website for more details.

 

Download and read   THE TRAGEDY OF KING LEAR   the full (1605) script   – – –   http://shakespeare.mit.edu/lear/full.html   – – –