King Lear
Schauspielhaus Bochum and Johan Simons bring you King Lear. Directed by Johan Simons, Pierre Bokma plays King Lear, a king who only in the face of death learns the value of love.
Shakespeare’s King Lear is a royal drama, a generational drama, a war drama, and a drama about people who are blinded by power and ambition. About people who roam the world, literally and figuratively blind until their eyes are opened and they learn what life is truly about: love and friendship. King Lear is an end game, in which a destructive storm wipes away the old order. In which the rich become beggars, the blind learn how to see, and mothers are missing from the story.
Starting time: 8 p.m.
Duration: 155 minutes, incl. intermission
Location: Grote Zaal
Language: German with Dutch and English surtitles
Dutch premiere
Tired of ruling the country, King Lear wants to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. The largest part will go to the daughter who can prove that she loves him the most. However, the youngest daughter and his favourite, Cordelia, refuses to take part in this game. Furious, Kind Lear banishes her. Once his kingdom is divided up and handed over, the old king finds there is no place in it for him anymore. Without an army to fight for him, all that is left for him is to wander the heath. As his journey progresses, Lear gets closer and closer to the edge of madness.
-|-Johan Simons directed the theatre groups Hollandia, ZT Hollandia and NTGent and was intendant of Münchner Kammerspiele and the Ruhrtriennale. He received international recognition for his stage directions and managed leading German-language companies and festivals. In 2016, he became the artistic director of the Schauspielhaus Bochum. Here, Johan Simons worked intensively with Pierre Bokma, together with whom he also created this King Lear.
Press about King Lear
‘Pierre Bokma is virtuoos als King Lear bij Schauspielhaus Bochum. In elke stembuiging en oogopslag is hij de deerniswekkende patriarch in Shakespeares grootste koningsdrama.’ – de Volkskrant
‘Johan Simons dissects Shakespeare's tragedy to its radical core.’ – nachtkritik.de
-|-‘Johan Simons stages William Shakespeare's King Lear at the Schauspielhaus Bochum and shows that it is possible to create a work of art that adheres to the prevailing hygiene rules.’ – Süddeutsche Zeitung
Credits
by William Shakespeare
new translation by Miroslava Svolikova
editing Koen Tachelet with the support of Angela Obst
direction Johan Simons
with Mourad Baaiz, Patrick Berg, Pierre Bokma, Konstantin Bühler, Anna Drexler, Ann Göbel, Stefan Hunstein, Michael Lippold, Steven Scharf
This performance is made possible by the Goethe Institut Amsterdam.
WITH COVID ADMISSION TICKET
To visit this performance you need a valid COVID admission ticket. This can be a negative test result, a vaccination certificate or proof that you have recovered from corona (proof of recovery). You must convert one of these into a QR code in the CoronaCheck app or a print via CoronaCheck.nl. Only then will you have a valid COVID admission ticket.
