King Lear Revival 2024

Run Time:
Approximately two hours, no intermission

Ages: 12+

Opened: November 14, 2024
Closing: December 15, 2024

King Lear - 2024 Off-Broadway History , Info & More

Cast

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History

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The Shed

West 30th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues New York, NY

Kenneth Branagh plays the title role in a new production of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, set in the barbarous landscape of Ancient Britain. Featuring a cast of rising stars from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art directed by Branagh, this production releases the play’s power and turmoil in a fast-paced staging.

In playing Lear, Branagh completes a trifecta of great Shakespearean tragic roles, complementing past appearances as Hamlet in his Academy Award–nominated film version of the play (1996) and on stage as Macbeth in a celebrated immersive production (2014). This strictly limited, exclusive US engagement of King Lear runs for 50 performances only.

King Lear - 2024 - Off-Broadway Cast

Kenneth Branagh

Doug Colling

Saffron Coomber

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FEATURED REVIEWS FOR King Lear

Review: Kenneth Branagh’s ‘King Lear’ Howls Into A Stormy, Rushed Muddle

2 / 10

Shakespeare never lacks for juicy insults, and King Lear is especially thick with verbal abuse. The unhinged title monarch viciously curses his daughter Goneril with rot in her ovaries and there’s a comically long string of invective the disguised Kent heaps upon villainous servant Oswald in front of Gloucester’s castle. In the trimmed version now running at The Shed I particularly miss one put-down—again, between Kent and Oswald. “Thou whoreson zed!” Kent sneers. “Thou unnecessary letter!” Gone from this sped-through, two-hour cut. But what would you expect? This is an unnecessary Lear.

'King Lear' review — Kenneth Branagh takes on Shakespeare’s aged king

6 / 10

King Lear is stripped down to two hours, focusing more on the external conflicts than any internal ones. This makes for an action-packed show, but without some of the more emotionally resonant scenes, the tragic ending doesn’t quite pack a punch.

King Lear History

Other Productions of King Lear

1754	Broadway	Broadway
1905	Broadway	Broadway
1906	Broadway	Broadway
1907	Broadway	Broadway
1907	Broadway	Broadway
1907	Broadway	Broadway
1909	Broadway	Broadway
1911	Broadway	Broadway
1915	Broadway	Broadway
1917	Broadway	Broadway
1918	Broadway	Broadway
1923	Broadway	Broadway
1930	Broadway	Broadway
1930	Broadway	Broadway
1947	Broadway	Broadway
1950	Broadway	Broadway
1962	Off-Broadway	Off-Broadway
1968	Broadway	Broadway
1973	Off-Broadway	Off-Broadway
1978	Off-Broadway	Off-Broadway
1982	Off-Broadway	Off-Broadway
1990	Off-Broadway	Off-Broadway
1996	Off-Broadway	Off-Broadway
2004	Broadway	Lincoln Center Revival Broadway
2006	Off-Broadway	Off-Broadway
2007	Off-Broadway	Off-Broadway
2011	Off-Broadway	Public Theater Production Off-Broadway
2014	Off-Broadway	Off-Broadway
2014	Off-Broadway	Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park Off-Broadway
2016	West End	Old Vic Revival Production West End
2018	West End	Chichester Festival Theatre West End Revival West End
2019	Broadway	Broadway Revival Broadway
2023	West End	West End
2024	Off-Broadway	Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway

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