King Lear

David Threlfall returns to the Theatre after 27 years to play Lear

'You see how full of changes his age is'

Shakespeare's most elemental tragedy charts a kingdom where power corrupts, families become enemies and prosperity devolves into war. At its centre is the mind of a man who can no longer understand what it means to be human.

Lear is a searing portrait of a king unable to distinguish truth from lies. As the storm rises and night falls, language, identity and meaning break down completely.