“It’s Shakespeare, Jim, but not as we know it”
SPOILER ALERT: At the end of Shakespeare’s play, Lear dies.
His last words are “Look, there”
His faithful follower and protector, Kent, wishes him a speedy release.
“Break heart”, he urges.
What I’m wondering is: what happens then?
Come on, we all wonder that, sometimes, don’t we? What happens after you die?
Well, that’s where this show starts…
A man in a dressing gown shuffles in, carrying a box. From the box he pulls the objects, people, quarrels, wrongs, jokes, mistakes, laughter and regrets that add up to a life.
Over the next seventy minutes he retreads the path that brought him here, to This Great Stage of Fools: the loss of his daughters, the loss of his knights, the loss of his fool, the loss of his wits… oh, and the storm. Don’t forget the storm. When The Rain Came.
Using only Shakespeare’s words (reordered, repurposed, and often repeated) Lear’s Shadow is a mischievous, engaging reflection on Shakespeare’s great domestic tragedy.
Content Warning: this piece contains vivid depictions of Very Poor Parenting.
First performed in 2024 at The Brockley Jack, “Lear’s Shadow was nominated for an Offie.
Audience responses to “Lear’s Shadow”
“…a mad genius…”
“…on the edge of my seat…”
“…a wizard…”
“…beautiful…”
“It was brilliant, funny (very funny) cheeky, moving and stirring. A perfect cocktail.”
“Just seen the utterly brilliant Colin Hurley give a masterclass of a performance in his one man show “Lear’s Shadow”. When it’s on again. All my actor and ex student actor friends and anybody else must see this virtuoso of a Shakespearean actor lighting up the stage”
“…brilliant, funny, thoughtful, inspired, imaginative… I could go on. … thoroughly enjoyed every one of the 70 minutes”
“Stunning”
“A belter of a show”
“One of the best pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen”
“Colin Hurley’s one-man adaptation/exploration/reimagining of Shakespeare’s Lear. It is superb. If you like Shakespeare, or if you hate it, do yourselves a massive one and go and see this. It is illuminating, heartfelt and brilliant.”
“Magnificent. What a wonderful evening. I laughed so much and felt so present and so many of the magic rough theatre feelings but mostly I was also extremely moved. What a gift.”
“Saw Lear’s Shadow on Friday, f**king brilliant, best thing I’ve seen in years”
Colin Hurley has been an actor for 50 years, mostly theatre, mostly plays by dead people, including spells with The Royal National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, and Shakespeare’s Globe. Colin is currently appearing in the acclaimed production of Macbeth at the Bolton Octagon, playing Duncan and The Porter.
