Review Roundup: Kenneth Branagh-Directed KING LEAR Opens at The Shed

Acclaimed actor Kenneth Branagh steps into the formidable shoes of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, in a new production at The Shed NYC. Read the reviews for this new production of one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies.

Featuring a cast of rising stars from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art co-directed by Rob Ashford, Branagh, and Lucy Skilbeck, this production completes Branagh completes a trifecta of great Shakespearean tragic roles, complementing past appearances as Hamlet in his Academy Award–nominated film version of the play (1996) and on stage as Macbeth in a celebrated immersive production (2014).

This strictly limited, exclusive US engagement of King Lear runs for 50 performances only. King Lear will play through December 15, 2024 at The Shed’s Griffin Theater.

Maya Phillips, The New York Times: Kenneth Branagh’s “King Lear,” which opened Thursday night at the Shed, is a tragedy that doesn’t seem to know why it’s so tragic. The production’s fleet and feathery interpretation of how one man’s decline rains down misfortune on everyone around him undercuts the gravity of the classic, demoting it into a mere trifle.

David Cote, Observer: Shakespeare never lacks for juicy insults, and King Lear is especially thick with verbal abuse. The unhinged title monarch viciously curses his daughter Goneril with rot in her ovaries and there’s a comically long string of invective the disguised Kent heaps upon villainous servant Oswald in front of Gloucester’s castle. In the trimmed version now running at The Shed I particularly miss one put-down—again, between Kent and Oswald. “Thou whoreson zed!” Kent sneers. “Thou unnecessary letter!” Gone from this sped-through, two-hour cut. But what would you expect? This is an unnecessary Lear.

Andrew Martini, Theatrely: In this production, directed by a tripartite directing team (Rob Ashford, Lucy Skilbeck, and Kenneth Branagah, one of our great contemporary Shakespeareans, who also stars as Lear), it’s a brisk unspooling. Having shaved the text down to a 2-hour running time with no intermission, the breakneck pacing doesn’t give the audience a chance to absorb the gravity of the drama or recognize the mounting stakes. One scene bleeds right into the next, which levels the play’s biggest moments.

Austin Fimmano, New York Theatre Guide: King Lear is stripped down to two hours, focusing more on the external conflicts than any internal ones. This makes for an action-packed show, but without some of the more emotionally resonant scenes, the tragic ending doesn’t quite pack a punch.

Average Rating: 30.0%