Synopsis

‘Oh, let me not be mad…’

In an ancient Britain of warring nobles and sibling rivalries, power is a precarious thing. When the ageing King Lear declares that he will divide his kingdom in three to prevent future strife, he unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events that will unravel into treachery, horror, conflict and death.

Renowned for its pathos and poetry as much as for its savage violence, Shakespeare’s wildest tragedy remains as thrilling and relevant today as when it was first performed: King Lear is a tale of politics, ambition, greed, vanity, betrayal, love, pride, madness, war and bloody vengeance.

Adapted for audio by Nicholas Pegg
Consultant: Dr Martin Wiggins, The Shakespeare Institute
Producer: David Richardson
Executive Producers: Nicholas Briggs and Jason Haigh-Ellery

Written By: William Shakespeare
Directed By: Barnaby Edwards

Cast

David Warner (King Lear), Louise Jameson (Goneril), Lisa Bowerman (Regan), Finty Williams (Cordelia), Mike Grady (The Fool), Tony Millan (The Earl of Gloucester / First Messenger), Paul Shelley (The Earl of Kent), Ray Fearon (The Duke of Cornwall), Nicholas Pegg (The Duke of Albany / Gloucester's Servant / Curan), Raymond Coulthard (Edmund / Cornwall’s Servant / Second Messenger / Second Gentleman), Gwilym Lee (Edgar / Duke of Burgundy), Trevor Cooper (Oswald / Lear’s Gentleman / Third Messenger), Barnaby Edwards (The King of France / Old Man / Herald).  Other parts played by members of the cast.

Downloads

• Available to all Big Finish Listeners - Extended Interviews from the Recording