The Off-Broadway Reign of Sam Waterston Begins as King Lear Opens at the Public Theater

A highly anticipated production of Shakespearean tragedy King Lear, directed by James Macdonald and featuring Sam Waterston in the title role, officially opens on November 8 at the Public Theater. The limited engagement will conclude on November 20.

When King Lear divides his kingdom among his daughters, he sets in motion a cascade of violence that sweeps the civilized world to the brink of chaos, and Lear himself to the edge of madness.

Joining Waterston on stage are Kelli O'Hara as Regan, Enid Graham as Goneril and Kristen Connolly as Cordelia, along with Frank Wood as Cornwall, Bill Irwin as the Fool, Arian Moayed as Edgar, Michael McKean as Gloucester, John Douglas Thompson as Kent, Richard Topol as Albany, Che Ayende as Duke of Burgundy/Knight/Servant, Craig Bockhorn as Doctor, Michael Crane as Oswald, Herb Foster as Old Man/Curan, Seth Gilliam as Edmund and Michael Izquierdo as King of France.

Waterston's 1975 Hamlet in Central Park is still talked about—don't miss is performance in King Lear!