Shakespeare's King Lear has always been a play about the catastrophic failure of succession planning, but Eamon Flack's decision to stage it now, "when sclerotic old orders threaten to take the world down with them," positions Belvoir's production as a deliberate commentary on a contemporary political moment. With Colin Friels in the title role, the production promises to examine how aging power refuses to relinquish control even as it becomes increasingly destructive.
Friels brings decades of stage and screen experience to a role that demands everything from an actor. Lear's journey from imperious authority through madness to devastated humanity requires extraordinary range, while the physical demands of the part test even younger performers. As Flack observes, "Colin's been building to this role for years."
The casting of Friels' real-life daughter Charlotte as one of his stage daughters adds a fascinating dimension to a play centrally concerned with parent-child relationships. The real familial connection could bring particular intensity to scenes exploring how family bonds strain under pressure of inheritance and power.
The production's use of the original title, The True History of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters, signals a perspective that emphasises the play's scope beyond Lear's individual tragedy. This framing suggests a production interested in systemic failure rather than mere personal downfall, examining how privilege, education, and civilisation prove to be inadequate safeguards against the human capacity for cruelty.
The 13-person ensemble includes actors with impressive contemporary Australian theatre credentials. Peter Carroll, Alison Whyte, and James Fraser bring substantial classical experience, while younger performers like Ahunim Abebe and Raj Labade represent emerging talent. This generational range within the cast will well serve the play's themes about power transition and the collision between old and new orders.
Flack's description of every page "exploding with possibility" reflects Lear's unusual textual richness even within Shakespeare's canon. The play exists in multiple early versions with significant variations, giving directors considerable interpretive freedom while raising anticipation about which text this production follows, and what editorial choices shape its particular vision.
The intimate proximity of Belvoir's Upstairs Theatre is likely to intensify the play's emotional devastation, making Lear's descent and Cordelia's death feel immediately present rather than distanced by theatrical scale. It will be interesting to see the interpretation of battle scenes and storm sequences in this confined space.
Belvoir's choice to close their 2025 season with arguably Shakespeare's most demanding tragedy demonstrates the company's well recognised ambition and faith in the artistic director's vision. Whether Flack's production offers fresh insights into this most analysed of plays or confirms established interpretations can only be revealed when the play opens in November.
This production offers a rare opportunity to see Friels tackle one of theatre's greatest roles in a intimate setting under the direction of one of the country's most respected theatre-makers.
The True History of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters runs November 15, 2025 to January 4, 2026 at Belvoir St Theatre.
Tickets and more info: https://belvoir.com.au/productions/king-lear/
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