King Lear: Act 1, Scene 1

This collection of films offers performance extracts from the National Theatre’s production of King Lear, alongside interviews with the cast and director about elements of the play.
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[@davol2449]

I am very very happy this is on here. I've been waiting for it ever since I saw it in a theatre broadcast. Simon Russell Beale is the world's greatest English-speaking actor alive at this moment.

[@tube092]

wonderful acting and production. Bravo!

[@Westmeath21]

I can imagine that this takes place in an alternate universe where instead of medieval Britain it takes place in modern Britain but instead of a Monarchy its a dictatorship and King Lear is like the Supreme Leader of Britain

[@Muguetsu]

It's not medieval, son, it's 800 B.C.

[@preciousgorgeousralf137]

damn, dat shit RAW

[@damarh]

Heard the voice and was like FALLSTAF!!

[@teeawgo]

oh god i'm in love with cordelia

[@Muguetsu]

That makes two of us.

[@neonvalkyrie]

Mesmerizing

[@Benjabola]

This is quite excellent.

[@wesleywhitson5352]

I love Kate Fleetwood so much, and am happy to see her Goneril here. I wanted to see her in Absolute Hell desperately-I’ve only ever seen Dame Judi’s version.

[@XxAdenahxX]

I’d love to see her in any play, but I don’t have the means to travel to New York, much less London. Tbh I’d just be fixated on her with the wide eyed fan girl oh face if I did. 😂😂

[@VishnuSharma-ph7mp]

Why king Lear hit Regan in the boo...

[@curiosguy9504]

Fr😂

[@JudgeJulieLit]

Brilliantly original interpretation and execution.

[@JudgeJulieLit]

@Greg Elchert Yes; besides senex Lear's waning hearing, a great prop emblem of his pre-abdication insulatedly solipsistic power trip. Parallel to this ploy, years ago at the Brooklyn Academy of Music I saw a production of Shakespeare's Richard II that ingeniously had his nobles, as their power grew, on progressively higher stilts.

[@michaelball3456]

these are very talented actors/actresses who you may see in several other versions of these plays. here is a nice fresh (then and now) variation of staging and performance. the added tension and fear of the modern despot design makes things seem on the surface slightly forced, but the cardboard aspect quickly diminishes when one views the full work. sadly the full work is hard to find. then and now. this is due in some part as the actors/production presented had/have limiting contracts in broadcast rights and shares. Lear is a fascinating character not so much due to his madness or tragic plight, but as all his actions are reduced to the interaction response of those around him, who are much more rancid and deceptive and corrosive than selfish Lear himself as fear replaces his persona more and more. even those that think they are helping him, are lying to him, and for all their stated objectives, they feed his madness in an abusive almost blind manner. only the fool, seems to have an honest, if tired, regard for Lear, and simply disappears, without a commentary qualm or note by Lear. Lear's one saving grace simply is just gone. and with it all hope for Lear, and yet it is done so skillfully that the audience never notices. the author yanks out the last pin holding hope and Lear together and it passes without even an eye blink of awareness. the skill in this, is almost magical. this is not a play about family, loves or jealousies or hates; this is a play about the abstraction of truth as value in face of the profit of lies. lies win.

[@marcmichel9394]

C'est très beau le king Lear

[@jlow532]

does anyone know where to find a full video of this production? This version looks amazing.

[@nikky9012]

Could you please premier this groundbreaking theatre as NT live?

[@transvestosaurus878]

0:32 Kate Fleetwood is one of the most inhumanly beautiful objects I have ever seen

[@ozgurcnar2822]

❤️

[@anilyzerr]

why is it so impossible to find video of this performance for purchase, either in DVD or streaming formats? It wasn't even available via UK Ebay in a different disc format, much less Amazon or the National Theatre website. Hello. Put this on sale please. Also Macbeth. Kate Fleetwood is fantastic.

[@meowmeow996]

+Frank Aguirre when it was first aired live in cinemas I asked national theatre if it would be released on DVD and they said no 😩

[@davol2449]

yes yes yes.....

[@lizclegg7556]

Yes, Kate Fleetwood was great.

[@bertybertface1914]

Perhaps it is on purpose, to get butts out and on seats? People may be less inclined to see the performnce live if they knew they could wait and grab a copy later?

[@pvonberg]

Agree 100 % on both !

[@angelahope3273]

I love Simon Russell Beale. He rocks🤘 This is my favourite moment in King Lear where his youngest Daughter will not play the game and shower her Dad with praise and platitudes and then her Dad does his raving na na. I also love his Falstaff,such an old fool who truly believes that this young king will take him along on this journey that he(the king) is about to embark upon. In fact everytime I watch Falstaff and it gets to the scene where the king banishes Falstaff I just think How could you not see it coming??? I still hate Romeo & Juliet and all. Bleeding stupid yes the families are reconciled but they are both dead. What's the bleeding point????

[@luciavitale5903]

It s catharsis ! The point of classic Theatre was to lead to Extreme consequences and move in order to get the audience really think about love and Death. The is the concept of Life according to Theatre.

[@davidworobec1673]

Same here! I am a big fan of Simon Russell Beale. He's one of my very favorite Shakespeare actors. I've seen him live in only 2 productions: "Hamlet" and "Twelfth Night" and he was amazing in both.

[@victorruhle8908]

Powerful beginning! Is it true this production cannot be found on DVD?

[@southendonseaarts]

Are you considering this or Othello for your NT at home we’ve had one Bard comedy we need a tragedy to balance it out?

[@youssefhytham7174]

Does anyone know where can I find the full Play of this play???!!!

[@patriciajanegerrie]

I asked NT too about producing DVDs of their outstanding productions but they said that the complexities of royalties prohibited it.

[@davol2449]

ROYALTIES? there are all kinds of ways to determine royalties. How does the RSC (for example) do it? a dumb, thoughtless answer.

[@liamhemmings9039]

Cordelia is outstanding.

[@Mikejolly2807]

can someone tell what time era this is set in and if this is supposed to be moder day or what need to know due to drama school work

[@unknownshakespeare982]

17th century

[@charliewilliams8429]

Interesting fact: The slap on the bottom was improvised by Simon Beale!

[@clarasch.4363]

Could you please put the full version of this production on this channel? I'm a student and I write a work about this stage production which I have to analyse and I really need the full version. You would do me a big favour. Thank you!

[@thanostsarbos1197]

Clara Schrickel It would be deleted by youtube due to copyrights :/

[@Flakoyaga]

Riverisde college lets gooo

[@snowylim6818]

Love actually can't fully deliver by any symbol,neither words, pictures,nor present,music or status

[@chrno6]

I just realize that the movie REN is based on King's Lear

[@Tolstoy111]

Ran (not Ren)

[@JohnZaabi]

@@Tolstoy111 Lola ran?

[@JunguianPhantom]

Cordelia's actress is gorgeous...

[@BCLICK56]

Who are the actress portraying the daughters?

[@thanostsarbos1197]

BCLICK56 Kate Fleetwood, Anna Maxwell Martin and Olivia Vinall

[@210vodkas_soup9]

WAIT A HOT SECOND!!!!!!!!!!! the woman who plays the first sister played Lady macbeth in the movie with Sir Patrick, MACBETH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@applesauce4666]

OUI OUI

[@applesauce4666]

She's a good actor

[@subcribetomefornoreasonpls1507]

Damn Lear spanking Regan. Why didn’t Shakespeare right that.

[@kellydg471]

This play is an example of what poor estate planning can lead to.

[@DoritoDustSniffer69]

any other 5th years mup

[@calabiyau9269]

"WHAT SHALL CORDELIA SPEAK??" Uh, you're supposed to say that quietly, as an aside to yourself.

[@davol2449]

like, who sez?

[@swf4841]

Maybe she DID do it as an aside. There are no rules on what an aside should look or sound like.

[@veronicaproctor184]

It's theatre - it has to be heard by the audience. Also, they used lighting to indicate it was thought inside her head in the way they played it here (rather than a verbal aside/mumble) and people can think loudly.

[@ally0488]

SWF y

[@shrimpee502]

She is speaking to the audience

[@meagsgriff7217]

4:40 - doesn’t he sound like a dalek lol

[@rafaelestrada1846]

Some ppl love it some hate it. Who is right? lol

[@whoim7163]

Do u like this video?

[@edwardmclaughlin7935]

He's not right in his head is he?

[@jamiehales8128]

Anyone here from school? Me to

[@bhaktiagarwal7481]

Anybody who is seeing this video in 2021😂😂

[@panchostanza8712]

not sure if the kisses & the smack on the bottom were necessary

[@ezraho8449]

JP Students unite!

[@stephensalliss9547]

It falls so flat and dead - and the more they try, the more flat and dead it becomes.

[@jessebaker3099]

Here we would stand better off reading the play ourselves to gain benefit of modern annotation. The only reason a crew produce Shakespeare is to convey some sense of what his work looked and sounded like at the Globe, a venue which cost serious money. While the Bard’s literary skill goes unquestioned, success came from his scripts’ ability to entertain an educated yet not always scholarly audience, possessed a working knowledge of English politics yet out on the town for escape, the craftsmen, middle class, and lower aristocracy of his day. Material considered bawdy in 1607 could hardly have been this wooden.

[@mcrettable]

"eldest spawn" lmao

[@soldierside365]

Cannot un hear haha worst part is, I’m playing Lear and now I have to not say that.. thanks pal 👍🏼😂

[@prekmom10]

Cordelia is a good acress; Lear just yells. I get one emotion from him--yelling anger, and it's annoying. I didn't imagine Lear that way. In the play, he obviously was dealing with a myriad of emotions and was a very emotional character. Anyone can yell monotonously and throw a tantrum. I don't think this is good acting.

[@hartree.y]

Well, at the very least, he could have toned it down a bit. But! Visually, I could have imagined the character almost precisely as had been casted here. The actions, however...

[@pippipster6767]

That is one photoshopped thumbnail

[@PeterGalman]

Not your grandfather's Lear, this breaks a lot of verse and staging rules and gets edgy, risky to purist's ears in a hurry. Not sure why he flips more than the one, Cordelia's table--does he not approve of Goneril's speech?

[@tebogomasike8443]

Why did he spank her though?

[@chazbrennan9632]

The trusm still holds: the greatest actor can fail at Lear and sometimes the greatest surprises come from the oddest places. McKellan wasn't that great. Ian Holm was magnificent. It's not a part for the subtle thinking actor: you need vast resources of natural fire.

[@chazbrennan9632]

The acting is good but the verse-speaking is non-existent. I feel we have come to the limits of naturalism as far as Shakespeare is concerned. This approach makes even a great, great actor like Simon feel rather thin, and the overused Stalinist courtroom setting is too familiar. So many fascist and Stalinist, Serbian and North Korean overtly political readings these days. Very tedious. I'm not suggesting back to hose and ruffs but this is definitely done to death.

[@soldierside365]

I’d suggest hose and ruffs. Not been done in ages, it might actually be a pleasant change

[@stephenkutos6400]

These "high concept" Shakespeares have become tedious to the point of boredom. In this production not only is the concept trite and strangely old hat, but bits of directorial business are actually embarrassing (as in Lear giving one of his daughters a pat on the ass or turning over tables which falls very flat indeed).There seems to be a lack of faith in the genius of Shakespeare and his envisioning his plays amongst contemporary directors so much so that they feel the need to distort and disfigure. In truth, this concept of Lear's setting as a fascist state with Lear as dictator is not particularly imaginative as it has been done...and done...and done. If you think you can "top" Shakespeare with new settings and trite business...think again.

[@youtubecharlie1]

Yeah, the Freudianism was disturbing...

[@lizclegg7556]

I remember this very disappointing production at the National.

[@greatmomentsofopera7170]

Truly terrible. I couldn’t believe how badly delivered this was when I was sitting in the theatre. Every character.

[@stephensalliss9547]

If they were to learn to use their voices properly, they would be able to use more economy in their delivery - and in turn deliver more meaning. As it is the meaning fails, simple because energy is taken up in a flabby unnecessary spit and fluster.

[@prekmom10]

Agreed. See my comment above.

[@oliverflowers641]

Jesus Christ just listen closer to SRB, he switches beautifully from the music of the verse and normal speech, making it easier for modern audiences to understand (I'm afraid not everyone is a scholar like you, and not everyone wants a poetry recital despite Shakespeare's use of iambic pentameter

[@syourke3]

I'm getting tired of the modernized Shakespeare. It's trite, trivial, tiresome. They don't even pretend to notice the iambic pentameter, there's no sense of meter or poetry at all. There is a line between interpretation and willful disregard of the author's intentions. Shakespeare does not need revision or modernization. It needs an intelligent, educated audience that has read and understood the text and is prepared to appreciate the music of Shakespeare's blank verse. Performing Shakespeare without any regard for the meter or the rhyme is tantamount to playing Beethoven without any regard for the bar lines or the tempo markings. This modernist Shakespeare has led to the most egregious self indulgence. This is an especially vulgar display of directorial narcissism.

[@oliverflowers641]

Go and listen again to Simon Russel Beale in this scene. He switches between the music of the verse and normal speech beautifully, like a jazz singer. Great Shakespearean actors if today (such as SRB) say the lines as they should be said without it becoming a poetry recital: stunning

[@madisonmae7513]

Shakespeare was made for the masses, let is remain so

[@Actorentrianing]

Also NOT ALL SHAKESPEARE IS IN IAMBIC PENTAMETER! Any actor worth his salt knows that. Some of his work like Romeo and Juliet is iambic, but for the most part it is in verse. This is why when actors refer to the rhythm and meter of the phrase the focus on punctuation. If you hit the punctuation correctly the rhythm will flow.

[@Actorentrianing]

John Mulligan Actually, yes it is true. If you think for one second that Shakespeare was for the wealthy classes only, then you haven't read or at least understood a word of his work. The politically incorrect, sexual innuendo alone throughout his work shows it to be for the masses. If you don't like the production, that's fine, but don't presume to change history with some pseudo intelligent bullshit.

[@Actorentrianing]

John Mulligan another intellectual snob. How original! I've studied the Bard as well in University as well is one on one acting training in performing Shakespeare. My senior project was performing several monologues from Richard III, Hamlet and Antony and Cleopatra. Again, if you don't like this particular production that's fine, but I think you'd be better to understand the historical context of Shakespeare's work as well as that "Nazi" word you keep throwing around before correcting someone's comment about historical context.

[@MsFaust1987]

Lethally cringe

[@JohnZaabi]

meh, morose and narcissistic portrayal, hyperbolic to the point of being unsufferable and burdensome

[@stephensalliss9547]

What terrible acting...

[@thanostsarbos1197]

How is this terrible acting ?

[@ceciliabellentani5697]

i actually love it!

[@maxmessner8291]

Booooooring…. Copy after copy after copy after…. 🤮

[@johnmckillop3820]

This is bloody awful

[@thomaswilson2363]

Im ngl that was boring