Glenda Jackson Is a Striking King Lear on Broadway

A new Broadway revival of Shakespeare's King Lear opens at the Cort Theatre on April 4. Director Sam Gold's gender-blind production, headlined by Glenda Jackson in the title role, began previews on February 28.

Joining Jackson in the cast is Ruth Wilson in dual roles of Cordelia and the King's fool, Jayne Houdyshell as the Earl of Gloucester, John Douglas Thompson as the Earl of Kent, Elizabeth Marvel as Goneril, Pedro Pascal as Edmund, Aisling O'Sullivan as Regan, Sean Carvajal as Edgar, Dion Johnstone as the Duke of Albany, Matthew Maher as Oswald, Justin Cunningham as the Duke of Burgundy, Dion Johnstone as the Duke of Albany, Ian Lassiter as King of France, Russell Harvard as the Duke of Cornwall and Michael Arden as the aid to the Duke of Cornwall.

The ensemble includes Che Ayende, Therese Barbato, Stephanie Roth Haberle, Daniel Marmion and John McGinty.

In celebration of opening night, Broadway.com Resident Artist Justin "Squigs" Robertson sketched a portrait of Jackson and a dynamic company of players offering up a King Lear for the ages.



About the Artist: With a desire to celebrate the magic of live theater and those who create it, and with a deep reverence for such touchstones as the work of Al Hirschfeld and the wall at Sardi’s, Squigs is happy and grateful to be among those carrying on the traditions where theater and caricature meet. He was born and raised in Oregon, lived in Los Angeles for quite a long time and now calls New York City his home.