King Lear

The Actors’ Shakespeare Project of Boston brings its acclaimed production of
King Lear — complete with its original 14-member Boston ensemble, and starring legendary actor/director Alvin Epstein — to New York. Patrick Swanson directs.

King Lear played to sold-out houses and critical raves in Boston in fall, 2005; it was extended twice and has been nominated for three Elliot Norton awards. Terry Teachout, in The Wall Street Journal, called it “The best King Lear I’ve ever seen on stage” In his end-of-the-year wrap-up, Mr. Teachout cited Mr. Epstein for “Best Acting in a Revival,” saying that as Lear, “he gave the performance of a lifetime — complex, compelling, magnetic.” Jeremy McCarter of New York Magazine, called the performance “a triumph of classical acting,” and awarded it “Best Great Performance New York Missed” and wondered, “How did the city’s artistic directors let this happen in Boston and not here?” Frank Rizzo in Variety wrote, “A new theater company and an old acting pro combine talents to create an imaginative, energetic and unorthodox production of King Lear. Alvin Epstein is a fascinating and at times astonishing Lear: complex, multicolored and completely mesmerizing, a performance that summons skills and artistry from a lifetime onstage. You know you’re in the presence of a master.”