King Lear, starring Glenda Jackson, begins performances on Broadway

The new Broadway production of King Lear is set for an official opening at the Cort Theatre on April 4, 2019.

Tony & two-time Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson returns to the Great White Way tonight as the Broadway revival of William Shakespeare's King Lear begins previews at the Cort Theatre. An official opening is set for April 4, with the strictly limited engagement running through to July 7, 2019.

Ms. Jackson previously released the following statement: "Performing King Lear in London was a wonderful and fulfilling experience, but this is a role you continue to work on and to make new discoveries. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to explore the role anew, and look forward to the challenge of performing it on Broadway."

Joining Ms. Jackson (as King Lear) in the cast is Tony Award winner Jayne Houdyshell (as Earl of Gloucester), Elizabeth Marvel (as Goneril), Aisling O'Sullivan (as Regan), Pedro Pascal (as Edmund), Tony Award nominee John Douglas Thompson (as Earl of Kent), two-time Olivier Award winner & Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson (as Cordelia/Fool), Sean Carvajal (as Edgar), Dion Johnstone (as Duke of Albany), Russell Harvard (as Duke of Cornwall), and Matthew Maher (as Oswald).

The production is directed by Tony Award winner Sam Gold and also features an original score by Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe & BAFTA Award-winning composer Philip Glass. The creative team also features scenic design by Miriam Buether, costume design by Ann Roth, lighting design by Jane Cox, and sound design by Scott Lehrer.

Prior to her 2018 Tony Award win for Edward Albee's Three Tall Women, Glenda Jackson had previously appeared on Broadway four times and received four Tony Award nominations. She made her Broadway debut in Marat/Sade in 1965, and went on to star in Rose (1981), Strange Interlude (1985) and the 1988 revival of Macbeth. On screen, she won Academy Awards for "Women in Love" in 1971 and for "A Touch of Class" in 1974 and also earned Oscar nominations for "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (1972) and "Hedda" (1976). After a 23 year-stint as a Member of Parliament in the UK, she returned to the stage in 2016 to take on the title role in London's acclaimed production of King Lear, which also earned her a fifth Olivier Award nomination. She garnered great acclaim for her turn as Shakespeare's tragic monarch in London (Read Mark Shenton's 4* review on our London Theatre Guide sister site).

The new Broadway production of King Lear is produced by Scott Rudin. 

King Lear Tickets are available now for performances through to July 7, 2019.