All Audience Reviews of King Lear

★ 4.2 / 5 • Show Ended • Shakespeare

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Andrew Thomas Greenwood

Yes, it’s abridged, there’s no interval in the 2 hour performance and Branagh is arguably too young to play Lear. But my goodness, what a play! The staging and costume design are great. Atmospheric use of technology and music subtly heighten emotions. People have described King Lear as being unperformable! Well, this talented cast proved them wrong on that! This is superb, with Branagh utterly commanding in the tragic central role and Corey Mylchreest as Edmund really impressing! Recommended.Read more →

Stuart King

Branagh the director clearly revels in his role of shaping and guiding fresh talent and he has surrounded himself with youthful players, most of whom have barely left the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from which he himself graduated decades ago. What the youthful contingent lack in gravity and fully cognisant delivery of Shakespeare’s poignant lines, they make up for with energy and commitment in the scenes involving physical combat adding pace to a play which oft suffers from overly ponderous interpretations and an excess of hand-wringing. At two hours, this production is a real sprinterRead more →

Craig Bird

Yes it’s a different take than we usually see but that brings its own energy. I think it’s easy to compare it to other versions and dismiss it as lightweight but I found it energetic and dramatic with Branagh playing Lear more like a real person with many characteristics. Altogether an excellent production to add to the Lear back catalogue.Read more →

Andrea Ma

An abridged version with a young cast, but no worse for it!Read more →

Mairi Macduff-Duncan

Really enjoyed this version. Acting was superb.Read more →

All Audience Reviews of King Lear

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