David Threlfall returns to Royal Exchange after 27 years for King Lear

David Threlfall has returned to the Royal Exchange after 27 years to play King Lear.

The production opened on 2 October and runs to 15 November. It is part of the theatre's 50th anniversary season Royal Exchange.

Matthew Dunster directs. The show is billed as a new adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy, meaning the original text has been reshaped for this staging.

The story follows an ageing king who divides his kingdom between his three daughters. Goneril is played by Nadine Shah, Regan by Lisa Diveney and Cordelia by Isobel Akuwudike WhatsOnStage.

Shah has a double role on the production. As well as playing Goneril, she is credited as composer for the show.

Dunster's staging makes one striking choice with the Fool. The character does not appear on stage separately. He is played instead as Lear's internal monologue, a voice inside the king's head.

Threlfall's return is a homecoming. He last performed at the Royal Exchange 27 years ago.

For fans, this means a chance to see a familiar television actor take on one of Shakespeare's largest stage roles in the round. The Exchange invited audiences to hear more about the approach at a pre-show event.

The theatre held 'Reimagining Lear: In Conversation with David Threlfall and Matthew Dunster' on Sunday 13 September at 4:30pm. The session was part of its Exchanging Stories programme and took place in The Theatre with unreserved seating Royal Exchange.

The main production runs at the Royal Exchange from Friday 2 October to Sunday 15 November 2026.