King Lear review from 2010

What the popular press had to say...

"His [Derek Jacobi] interpretation is deeply moving... Jacobi is an actor of rare technical skill and integrity."
Henry Hitchings for The Evening Standard

"Michael Grandage's production proves outstanding, the finest and most searching Lear I have ever seen, and in this small space it often achieves a shattering power...Jacobi...captures the full depth and breadth of the character."
Charles Spencer for The Daily Telegraph

"Sir Derek Jacobi produces an ­artful Lear, more believable than most."
Quentin Letts for The Daily Mail

"The miracle of Michael Grandage's production is that it is fast (under three hours), vivid, clear and, thanks to a performance that reminds us why Derek Jacobi is a great classical actor, overwhelmingly moving...It is Jacobi's Lear that drives the production. And what is truly astonishing is the way he combines Lear's spiritual trajectory from blind arrogance to impotent wisdom with a sense of the character's tumultuous contradictions."
Michael Billington for The Guardian

External links to full reviews from popular press
Daily Telegraph - The Guardian

Originally published on

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