King Lear, a highly appraised West End production, is one of the highlights of the MultiCulture Britain project. Ian McKellen, an award-winning British actor known as Gandalf from Lord of the Rings and Magneto from X-men series, plays the title role.
Broadcast live from London’s West End, see Ian McKellen’s ‘extraordinarily moving portrayal’ (Independent) of King Lear in cinemas.
Chichester Festival Theatre’s production received five-star reviews for its sell-out run, and transfers to the West End for a limited season. Jonathan Munby directs this contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s tender, violent, moving and shocking play.
Considered by many to be the greatest tragedy ever written, King Lear sees two ageing fathers – one a King, one his courtier – reject the children who truly love them. Their blindness unleashes a tornado of pitiless ambition and treachery, as family and state are plunged into a violent power struggle with bitter ends.
Evening Standard:
“Ian McKellen's detailed, intelligent performance is a triumph.”
The Stage:
“This King Lear is an intensely moving experience.”
The Guardian:
“Smart, lucid, superbly detailed.”
The Times:
“Nuanced and powerful.”