A Swedish king loses his mind and his kingdom—Shakespeare's bleakest family dinner party.
A tragedy by William Shakespeare about King Lear who intends to abdicate, and therefore wants to carve the kingdom up between his three daughters.
Acting
Keve Hjelm's Lear crumbles with terrifying physicality.
Direction
Orion Theatre's stark staging amplifies the claustrophobia.
Production
Swedish minimalism meets Jacobean brutality.
Director
Peter Oskarson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Orion Theatre was Sweden's pioneering ensemble company; this production captures their raw, physical approach to classics.
Filmed stage productions rarely preserve this intimacy—the camera lingers on Hjelm's weathered face like another storm-battered heath.
SE
