Full cast to join Kenneth Branagh in King Lear revealed

Complete casting has been confirmed for the upcoming Fiery Angel and The Shed co-production of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as the titular character.

The production will begin previews on 21 October 2023 at Wyndham’s Theatre in London, ahead of a press night on 31 October, and will run until 9 December. It is then scheduled to transfer to The Shed’s Griffin Theater in New York City for the autumn of 2024.

Joining Branagh on stage will be Mara Allen (Macbeth, The Night Watch) as Curan, Deborah Alli (Best of Enemies, School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play) as Goneril, Raymond Anum (The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew) as Burgundy, Melanie-Joyce Bermudez (making her professional debut) as Regan, Doug Colling (Dear Evan Hansen, This England) as Edgar, Dylan Corbett-Bader (The Tattooist of Auschwitz, We Were The Lucky Ones) as France, Eleanor de Rohan (Hamlet, Anatomy of A Scandal) as Kent, Chloe Fenwick-Brown (making her professional debut) as Oswald, Joseph Kloska (The Winter’s Tale, Richard III) as Gloucester, Corey Mylchreest (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, The Sandman) as Edmund, Hughie O’Donnell (Into The Woods) as Cornwall, Caleb Obediah (Bridgerton, The Living Newspaper) as Cornwall, Jessica Revell (Tracy Beaker Returns, The Dumping Ground) as Cordelia / The Fool.

The creative team also includes Jon Bausor (set and costume designer), Lucy Skilbeck (associate director), Nina Dunn (projection designer), Paul Keogan (lighting designer), Ben and Max Ringham (sound designers and composers), Aletta Collins (choreographer), Lucy Bevan CDG and Emily Brockmann (casting directors), Bret Yount (fight director), Issy Snape and Michael Rouse (assistant directors) and Jim Leaver (production manager).

King Lear is the latest addition to Branagh’s impressive Shakespearean repertoire, which includes his film adaptations of Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, and Love’s Labour’s Lost and, more recently, The Winter’s Tale on stage.

He has also directed acclaimed stage productions of Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale, and Romeo and Juliet.

King Lear is presented in association with RADA and its principal, Niamh Dowling, commented: “King Lear is an exceptional opportunity for RADA graduates, many of whom graduated very recently, to take part in a production of one of Shakespeare’s most impactful plays. We are really thrilled for this cast, which includes a number of graduates making their West End debuts.”

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