The Royal Exchange stages a powerful new King Lear this October

This October, David Threlfall returns to the Royal Exchange after 27 years to take on the title role in Matthew Dunster’s powerful new interpretation of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, bringing two of the theatre’s most distinctive artists back to the stage as part of its 50th anniversary year.

King Lear follows the titular monarch presiding over a kingdom in collapse, where power corrupts, families turn against one another and prosperity gives way to war. Lear himself is increasingly unable to distinguish truth from lies, and as the storm gathers, language, identity and meaning begin to fracture around him.

Adapted and directed by Dunster, returning for his sixth engagement at the Royal Exchange, this reimagining promises a uniquely visceral and emotionally charged take on one of Shakespeare’s most elemental works, with Threlfall bringing his own formidable presence to a role defined by pride, paranoia and devastating loss.

A marquee theatrical homecoming for the Royal Exchange’s 50th anniversary, King Lear offers a searing portrait of power, family and what remains in the absence of all certainty.

Book tickets below.