Carleton to host encore screening of National Theatre’s “King Lear”

Carleton College, in partnership with London’s National Theatre Live, will present a screening of “King Lear” on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m. in the Weitz Center of Creativity Cinema. Featuring Ian McKellen in the lead role, this contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy is directed by Jonathan Munby.

This screening is free and open to the public; no reservations are required.

Considered by many to be Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy ever written, “King Lear” depicts two aging fathers—one a king, the other his courtier—who reject the children that truly love them. Their blindness unleashes a tornado of pitiless ambition and treachery, as family and state are plunged into a violent power struggle with tragic consequences.

Originally broadcast live from London’s West End, the sold-out production became an international sensation, experienced by nearly half a million people in cinemas around the world. The Independent called McKellen’s portrayal “extraordinarily moving” and The Guardian called the production “smart, lucid, [and] superbly detailed.”

National Theatre Live is a groundbreaking project of the National Theatre designed to broadcast the best of British theater live from the London stage to cinemas across the United Kingdom and around the world. Learn more about this experience and watch a trailer for “King Lear” here.

This event is sponsored by Arts@Carleton and the Carleton College Department of English. For more information, including disability accommodations, please call (507) 222-4531. The Weitz Center for Creativity is located at Third and College Streets in Northfield.