King Lear

Written by William Shakespeare

Translated and directed by YOUN Kwangjin

Language: Korean

Running Time: Approx 170 mins (with intermission)

Age Restriction: Suitable for ages 13 and over

(※ This show contains scenes that some audience may find violent.)

"No Man Will Ever Write a Better Tragedy than Lear" - George Bernard Shaw

Myeongdong Theater's 2015 season opens with King Lear

King Lear, the greatest tragedy of Shakespeare finally arrives at Myeongdong Stage, followed by hugely successful Hamlet in 2013 and Julius Caesar, the winner of Dong-A Theater Awards for the Best Performance in 2014. This season's opener, King Lear will explore the nature of human emotions which are deep and wild regardless of time and place.

Dreaming of 'New' Lear by CHANG Duyee

It has been described the role of King Lear as Mt. Everest every Shakespearean actor is supposed to have to climb before being labelled 'great.' So greatest actors of the time such as Laurence Oliver, Sir Ian McKellen and Jonathan Pryce have taken on the challenge in the home of Shakespeare. This time, CHANG Duyee, 'the extraordinary Korean actor' joins the group of great actors. CHANG is one of the finest actors of the time who appeared in the legendary premier of Mahabharata by Peter Brook and then worked with the theater Guru, Grotowsky as one of his theater specialists in 1984. In the CHANG's physically as well as mentally exhausting assignment, other veteran actors such as JO YoungJin, SEO Joohee and LEE Youngsook are on board to make their journey to the Everest safer.

Innovative director YOUN Kwangjin meets bold scenographer LEE Taesup

The winner of the 2013 Korea Theater Awards for Best Performance and Best Director, YOUN has gained solid trust of both audiences and critics with his innovative and forward-looking staging. To have King Lear in his contemporary style, YOUN chose one of the boldest Korean scenographer, LEE who will confine the extraordinary actors in a bare stage dangled from the ceiling in order to maximize actors' power and energy in the most unstable environment. King Lear is the opener of the 2015 Season of Myeongdong Theater, composed of a series of classics exploring the lost values of the human and their entangled relationships with two key words, 'home' and 'family' until the end of the year.

"No, I’ll not weep.

I have full cause of weeping, but this heart

Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws,

Or ere I’ll weep. O fool, I shall go mad!"

Synopsis

Lear, the aging king of Britain, decides to step down from the throne and divide his kingdom evenly among his three daughters. First, however, he puts his daughters through a test, asking each to tell him how much she loves him. Goneril and Regan, Lear’s older daughters, give their father flattering answers. But Cordelia, Lear’s youngest and favorite daughter, remains silent, saying that she has no words to describe how much she loves her father. Lear flies into a rage and disowns Cordelia. Goneril and Regan swiftly begin to undermine the little authority that Lear still holds. Unable to believe that his beloved daughters are betraying him, Lear flees his daughters’ houses to wander on a heath during a great thunderstorm, accompanied by his Fool and by Kent, a loyal nobleman in disguise. Meanwhile, Earl of Gloucester fallen for his illegitimate son(Edmund)'s cunning scheme, accused of being a traitor and tortured, sets his journey with his lost vision in search of Lear in the heath. These victims of their own follies finally face the truth of life in the wilderness, once they lost everything they cherished.

Cast

CHANG Duyee, JO Youngjin, SEO Joohee, LEE Youngsook, OH Dongsik, LEE Yoonjae, LEE Dongjun, SEO Eunkyung, LEE Kapseon, YOO Sangjae, LEE Kidon, SONG Euidong, KIM Sunghwan, HONG Aaron, LEE Seunghun and SONG Hojin

Creative Team

Translated and directed by YOUN KwangJin

Embellishment by KO Younok

Stage Design by LEE Taesup

Lighting Design by KIM Changgi

Costume Design by KIM Sanghee

Movement Direction by YANG Seunghee

Voice Design by YOO Mi

Makeup Design by PAIK Jiyoung

Props Design by LEE Kyungpyo

Music Direction by PI Junghoon

Dramaturg by CHOI Youngjoo

Assistant Director JUNG Sunghoon

Deputy Assistant Director CHOI Sookkyoung

Produced by Myeongdong Theater