Kevin Kline's King Lear, Directed by James Lapine, to Begin 2/9 at the Public
The Public Theater's new production of Shakespeare's King Lear, starring Kevin Kline in the title role, will begin performances on February 9, 2007. The production will be directed by James Lapine. No further casting has been announced.
Kline has played numerous Shakespearean roles at the Public, including the title roles in Richard III, Henry V and two productions of Hamlet, Duke Vincentio in Measure for Measure and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. He won an Obie for his first Hamlet and five Drama Desk nominations, including best director and best actor, for his second, which was later televised on PBS. He won Tony Awards for his leading role in the Public's production of The Pirates of Penzance and for his featured role in On the Twentieth Century. At Shakespeare in the Park, he has appeared opposite Meryl Streep in both The Seagull and in Tony Kushner's new translation of Mother Courage and Her Children this past summer. Other Broadway credits include The Three Sisters, Loose Ends, Arms and the Man, Ivanov and Lincoln Center Theater's production of Henry IV, in which he played Falstaff. He was recently inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.
In addition to his work as a librettist and/or director with Stephen Sondheim Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Passion and William Finn March of the Falsettos, Falsettoland, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Lapine has directed productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Winter's Tale at the Public. Other notable directing credits include Golden Child, The Diary of Anne Frank and Dirty Blonde. His credits as a playwright include Twelve Dreams, Table Settings, Luck, Pluck and Virtue, The Moment When and Fran's Bed.
