PRE SHOW BRIEFING FOR
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL HURST & BENJAMIN KILBY-HENSON
PRODUCTION NOTES
ABOUT THE PLAY
COMPANY Auckland Theatre Company VENUE ASB Waterfront Theatre
Having built an empire, the ageing King Lear is poised to abdicate his crown. When he challenges his three daughters to compete for his land, his favourite refuses to play the game. Civilisation is thrust into chaos and Lear, broken by his own vanity, will be forced to confront who he is for the very first time.
DURATION 2 hours, 45 minutes including interval
SHAKESPEARE & KING LEAR
ADVISORY Contains depictions of violence, stage blood and weapons, smoke/ haze, strobe lighting, and themes of suicide.
King Lear begins with a simple, foolish decision: a father divides up his daughters’ inheritance based on how much they can flatter him with words. The fairy-tale-like beginning is at odds to the chaos about to unfold. While some critics argue that King Lear is Shakespeare’s greatest work, one thing’s for sure: Lear beats all of Shakespeare’s plays when it comes to sheer intensity. Even by modern standards, it is unrelenting in its depiction of extreme suffering and cruelty at a physical and emotional level. The catastrophes follow one after the other: family break-up, betrayal, a literal storm, bodily mutilation — and that’s only the first half. But Shakespeare’s aim was more than mere shock; after all, this was a writer at the top of his game.