Glenda Jackson to Return to Broadway in KING LEAR, Spring 2019

Oh man!!! Looks like the 2019 Tony for Best Actress in a Play already has a frontrunner...!

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BREAKING-Glenda-Jackson-Will-Play-Title-Role-in-KING-LEAR-on-Broadway-20180628

Updated On: 6/28/18 at 09:15 AM

What theater? If they already have dates but won't announce, I'm assuming that means something is closing.

Who would be a good director for this? Does Mantello do Shakespeare?

Can Laurie please do Goneril or something?

I think it's kinda cool that in the same season we will have a play about a great actress tackling a great Shakespearean male role (Bernhardt/Hamlet) and this Lear with a great actress doing the same.

Updated On: 6/28/18 at 09:43 AM

I saw her do it in London. I actually enjoyed Deborah Warner's staging, but it was very bizarre and many people hated it. I'm not surprised that her return to the play will be without Warner.

But seriously, you all are in for a treat. She's an excellent Lear. I do wonder how her performance will differ with a different director though.

I'm digging the Shakespeare for next season!

"Kiss Me, Kate" and "King Lear." Might as well add "The Lion King" to that list too.

Who else would be a good choice to direct?

Sam Gold?
Michael Grandage?
Jonathan Kent?
David Leveaux?
Bartlett Sher?

Just as long as Jack O'Brien stays away from this.

In her Tony speech, Jackson said she think Joe Mantello found her a worthy opponent.

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "In her Tony speech, Jackson said she think Joe Mantello found her a worthy opponent."

Also, from the Joe Mantello NYT article:

“I went into some long rambling dissertation, describing how she could perhaps play a moment, and she sort of fixed me with her eyes and went ‘Nice try,’” he says. “She likes to spar. She finds great energy in being adversarial. And my feeling about it at the end of the day was: ‘Fair enough, let’s go.’ Was it always a pleasant experience? No. But it was thrilling. She raised my game.”



So, maybe I'm reading into it too much, but these 2 things give the impression that she and Mantello didn't love working together. (In her Tony speech, it also sounds like she said "John Mantello," but maybe that was just her accent.)

Updated On: 6/28/18 at 10:51 AM

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "Who else would be a good choice to direct?

Sam Gold?
Michael Grandage?
Jonathan Kent?
David Leveaux?
Bartlett Sher?


I'm a bit biased because I think Lear is an incredibly overdone, bloated, dull, mess of a play. So the last thing I want is a by-the-numbers production. I'd much rather see a really bold take on it. So for me, I say keep Grandage, Kent, Levaux, and even Sher (despite his brilliance) AWAY from this production.

Gold could be an interesting choice. He's pretty hit-or-miss, but it has the potential to be interesting. I'd love to see Marianne Elliott tackle this beast of a play. If not her, then maybe Sam Mendes? Rupert Goold? Phyllida Lloyd? Ruben Santiago-Hudson? I also like the idea of Rebecca Taichmann. John Tiffany would be a weird choice for this material, but I love everything he does, and I bet he could work wonders with the play.

JBroadway said: "Gold could be an interesting choice. He's pretty hit-or-miss, but it has the potential to be interesting. I'd love to see Marianne Elliott tackle this beast of a play. If not her, then maybe Sam Mendes?Rupert Goold? Phyllida Lloyd? Ruben Santiago-Hudson? I also like the idea of Rebecca Taichmann. John Tiffany would be a weird choice for this material, but I love everything he does, and I bet he could work wonders with the play."

Sam Mendes is already set to direct a World War I film next year, so he'll likely be unavailable.