Shakespeare Theatre Company Extends KING LEAR Thru 7/26

Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. announces a one-week extension -- now through July 26 -- of its critically-acclaimed production of William Shakespeare's KING LEAR, starring Stacy Keach in the title role, directed by Robert Falls. Set in war-torn 1990s Yugoslavia, this explosive, bold production of LEAR has, in fact, been shattering box office records at the Shakespeare Theatre's new Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St. NW) since its opening night on June 16, 2009, according to Managing Director Chris Jennings. The engagement was previously scheduled to run through July 19.

Robert Falls' production of KING LEAR starring Mr. Keach and the current company at Shakespeare Theatre, originated at Chicago's Goodman Theatre in 2006.

When Charles Isherwood of The New York Times reviewed the production then, he called LEAR, "A thunderclap, this blistering modern-dress production brings alive the morally disordered universe of the play with a ferocity unmatched by any other production I've seen. The terrific cast is lead by Stacy Keach in the title role. Mr. Falls's LEAR is a disturbing parable about how hard it is to arrest or reverse the process of moral decay once it has taken root in a kingdom's (or country's) centers of power." He went on to name the production one of the best productions of 2006.

In other news, Shakespeare Theatre Company also announces a limited number of seats are available for its exclusive live U.S. engagement of the National Theatre of Great Britain's production of PHEDRE, starring Helen Mirren and directed by Nicholas Hytner from September 17 to 26, also at Harman Hall.

While taped performances of PHEDRE will screen at select theatres across the country, Shakespeare Theatre Company remains the only theatre in the U.S. to see Best Actress Oscar winner ("The Queen") Ms. Mirren in her renowned performance live on stage as Phedre in Jean Racine's 17th-century classic about the passionate Queen who, believing her husband to be dead, succumbs to her forbidden love for her stepson.

This production of PHEDRE, which also features Dominic Cooper and Margaret Tyzack, was praised by Ben Brantley in The New York Times on June 25, when he wrote, "Ms. Mirren remains not only incomparably majestic but also compellingly credible. Her Phedre is a more extreme blend of artifice and conviction, but boy, does she make it work in Nicholas Hytner's intense, modern-dress interpretation."

For tickets information and reservations to KING LEAR and PHEDRE, call 202 547 1122, or visit www.ShakeaspeareTheatre.org.

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