Lear's Daughters, The Hope Theatre

This award-winning reworking of 'King Lear' is part of incoming Artistic Director Matthew Parker's first season at The Hope Theatre in Islington. Following the narrative arc of ‘King Lear’, ‘Lear’s Daughters’ strips back the themes of national politics to focus on the domestic and punctuates Shakespeare's text with soulful, bluesy musical accompaniment.The story unfolds (rather aptly) in Goneril’s home at Christmas time, where the pressures of hosting a senile father and his riotous servants spark a family feud that ultimately descends into heart-breaking tragedy.

The play sees only four characters occupy the stage: Lear's three daughters and the Fool. This is an intriguing take on Shakespeare’s tragedy; the character of Lear is so pivotal to the plot it will be interesting to see how the ideas of the play can be adapted in his absence. Also, the female focus interacts with the current prominence of women in Shakespeare. In the vein of Phyllida Lloyd’s all-female Shakespeare trilogy at the Donmar, and Maxine Peake’s ‘Hamlet,’ Footfall Theatre continue to question the received gendering of the classical canon, questioning whether contemporary Shakespeare productions can really be called modern if women don’t have more to say.
Note: the performance is not suitable for younger audiences and only over 18s will be admitted.