The Shakespeare tragedy will play Liverpool's Everyman Theatre Oct. 30-Nov. 29 (with an official opening Nov. 5) prior to arriving at London's Young Vic on Jan. 29, 2009. The production will play the Young Vic through March 28, 2009, with an official opening scheduled for Feb. 4.
The company will also include John Shrapnel as the Earl of Gloucester, Forbes Masson as the Fool, Nigel Cooke as the Earl of Kent, Caroline Faber as Goneril, Charlotte Randle as Regan, Amanda Hale as Cordelia, Jonjo O'Neill as Edmund, Tobias Menzies as Edgar, Michael Colgan as the Duke of Albany, Clarence Smith as the Duke of Cornwall, John-Paul MacLeod as the Duke of Burgundy and Jacob Anderson as Boy.
King Lear is being staged in Liverpool as part of that city's Capital of Culture Year; it is co-produced by Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and Headlong Theatre in association with the Young Vic.
Postlethwaite was previously part of the Everyman's company in the mid 1970s, where his fellow alumni included Julie Walters, Matthew Kelly, Bill Nighy, Anthony Sher, Trevor Eve, Jonathan Pryce, George Costigan and Alison Steadman. As well as his Oscar-nominated performance for "In the Name of the Father," his extensive film and TV credits also include "The Constant Gardener," "Brassed Off," "Romeo and Juliet," "The Usual Suspects" and "Criminal Justice." His recent theatre credits include The Tempest and The Homecoming (both at Manchester's Royal Exchange) and Scaramouche Jones (UK/world tour).
In a press statement, Postlethwaite commented, "Doing King Lear is a big, big privilege – terrifying and exciting at the same time - and I hope it will fulfil all our dreams and hopes. I feel it is the right time, in the right place, with the right people. To me, the Everyman is one of the most exciting spaces and venues in the world." Director Rupert Goold is artistic director of Headlong Theatre, and previously worked with Postlethwaite in 2002 on the solo show Scaramouche Jones. His previous Shakespearean productions include Hamlet and Othello at Northampton Royal, where he was previously artistic director, and last year's production of Macbeth at Chichester's Minerva Theatre with Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood that subsequently transferred to the West End's Gielgud Theatre and Broadway's Lyceum. He is currently represented in London by his production of Six Characters in Search of an Author that has also transferred form Chichester's Minerva to the Gielgud, and No Man’s Land, transferring from Dublin's Gate Theatre to the West End's Duke of York's on Sept. 27. He will also be directing Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in December.
For this intimate production, designer Giles Cadle, lighting designer Howard Harrison, costume designer Nicky Gillibrand and composer and sound designer Adam Cork, will create a production that, according to press materials, is "very much inspired by the essence of the Everyman theatre and the dramatic scenery of the northern landscape."
The Liverpool run is already sold out. There will be 12 seats available daily from the box office. For more details call the box office at 0151 708 3700 or visit www.everymanplayhouse.com. Priority booking for the Young Vic run opens for Young Vic Friends Oct. 6, and for the public on Oct. 20. To book call the box office at 020 7922 2922 or visit www.youngvic.org.
