2016 the Year of Lear

Synopsis: Arts documentary. With five major productions taking place in 2016, the film looks at why King Lear resonates so deeply with contemporary audiences. Don Warrington, Antony Sher, Timothy West, Michael Pennington, and Edward Petherbridge speak about their experiences of playing Lear. Diana Rigg speaks of the fraility of Olivier while filming his performance for Granada Television.

There are extracts from the Talawa Theatre Company all-black production at Manchester Royal Exchange with Don Warrington as Lear; the 1983 Granada Television production directed by Michael Elliott with Oliviier as Lear; Peter Brook’s 1971 film with Paul Scofield as Lear; Theatre for a New Audience’s 2014 staging directed by Arin Arus with Pennington as Lear, and the RSC’s 2016 staging directed by Gregory Doran with Antony Sher in the title role. Also a trailer for the Royal & Derngate Northampton production directed by Max Webster with Michael Pennington as Lear. The 2016 Bristol Old Vic production directed by Tom Morris with Timothy West has stiils only.

Edward Petherbridge speaks of the stroke he had immediately before he was about to play Lear in New Zealand and the show ‘My Perfect Mind’ directed by Kathryn Hunter for the Young Vic in 2014 in which he writes about that experience.

Narrated by Maxine Peake,
Series: Artsnight
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Television
Technical information: Colour / Sound
Subjects: Drama
Keywords: Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)