The chief director of the Vakhtangov Theatre Yury Butusov stages ‘King Lear’ after William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. The premiere is scheduled to the 27th and 28th of February, 2021.

Production team: general artist of the Vakhtangov Theatre Maxim Obrezkov, choreographer Nikolay Reutov, lighting designer Alexander Sivaev, assistant lighting designer Alexander Matveev, sound director Andrey Mirniy, assistant director Evdokiya Proshakova.

Cast: Artur Ivanov, Victor Dobronravov, Vassiliy Simonov, Valeriy Ushakov, Yury Tsokurov, Yury Poliak, Yan Gakharmanov, Denis Bondarenko, Vladimir Logvinov, Yana Sobolevskaya, Olga Tumaykina, Eugenia Kregzhde.

Dr. Dmitry Trubochkin (consultant of the artistic director Rimas Tuminas):

The Shakespearean tragic universe comprises furious passions, incredible feelings and strokes of insight. “The time is out of joint”, as Hamlet says. The connection between generations is lost, we suffer the lack of compassion. One of the crucial tragic themes is the loneliness of human soul tortured by dateless challenges.

The director Yury Butusov returns to Shakespearean plays regularly. In Russia he stages Shakespeare for the 10th time and ‘King Lear’ particularly – for the second time. The production of  ‘Measure for Measure’ (2010) of the Vakhtangov Theatre was on tour in London at the ‘Globe theatre’ in 2012. The Guardian rated ‘Measure for Measure’ for 4 stars and the strict theatre critic Mikhail Billington wrote: “A predominantly young company delivers this difficult play with vigour and adjusts to the unique demands of the Globe space by acknowledging the audience without pandering to them”.

Yury Butusov:

I believe this is the right time for Shakespearean tragedy. The world is shaken. We experience colossal changes both in society and in technology, the man is surrounded by totally new sounds, new meanings. Another tempest breaks out.