King Lear, starring Ian McKellen and directed by ON Jonathan Munby, opened in July at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London. The production transferred to the West End after a highly successful run at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2017.
The production has gathered critical acclaim, with London Theatre announcing that ‘Munby’s production hits the mark on all accounts’, and praising the ‘superlative performance’ from Ian McKellen. The performance is staged in the theatre where McKellen made his West End debut in 1964 and attempts to recapture the intimacy of its Chichester setting using a catwalk-style stage that extends into the stalls and reduces the audience size.
Photo: Johan Persson
Munby’s contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s classic has been given four stars by the Telegraph, What’s On Stage and the Guardian. It is running at the Duke of York’s until 3rd November 2018. The play will also be broadcast live in cinemas on 27th September by National Theatre Live.
Some of Munby’s other credits include: Frozen (Theatre Royal Haymarket, 2018), Wendy & Peter Pan (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 2013/2015) and Antony and Cleopatra (Shakespeare’s Globe, 2014).