'Striving to better, oft we mar what's well'

'The Tragedy of King Lear' is generally regarded as Shakespeare's greatest play, written at the height of his powers, and has been described as one of the most profound of all artistic explorations of the human condition. A play that is most deeply concerned with matters of fundamental human importance; with breakdowns in family relationships; with the effect on the human mind of both mental and physical suffering and with what distinguishes man from the animals.

The history of the play has been an erratic one. Originally performed with Richard Burbage in the title role and most probably Robert Armin as the Fool, it was later felt to be unactable. Judging from the records of performances the play generally seems to have been less popular that either Hamlet or Othello but it continued to be performed in roughly its original form until the notorious adaption by Nahum Tate in 1681 which was to become a part of theatrical history.

Of course, there were many 'improved' versions of Shakespeare after the Restoration but Tate's was probably the most significant because it completely changed the ending giving Cordelia a happy future with a heroic Edgar who had earlier saved her from attempted rape and hanging. The final moral that 'truth and virtue shall succeed' was completely at variance with Shakespeare's original concept but nevertheless Tate's version continued to enjoy popularity for the next 150 years.

Twentieth century productions of King Lear have been much more faithful to the original text and have continued to find relevant contemporary themes to emphasis.

We are very excited to be presenting 'The Tragedy of King Lear' for the first time at 'The George'. We hope that our audiences will enjoy this vibrant and dramatic masterpiece in the kind of setting in which it would originally have been performed.

Michael G Williamson
Director