NEW......KING LEAR BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE... ED FRINGE '25

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KING  LEAR BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ADAPTED AND PERFORMED BY PIP UTTON 

WORLD PREMIERE PRAGUE FRINGE

JUNE 26 28 SPISSKA NOVA VES, SLOVAKIA

AUGUST 14 - 24 PLEASANCE COURTYARD AT 12.30 IN BABY GRAND

King Lear by Pip Utton (and William Shakespeare) is mad. Very, very, mad. Mad at the weather, mad at his daughters, mad at everyone and everything. But his biggest problem is that he really is mad! And angry. Who would have thought that dividing your kingdom between three daughters, based on how much they love him, would have caused so many problems? It has all gone horribly wrong, and at Lear’s age he could do without the hassle. So, he is really pissed off! 

Lear is possibly Shakespeare's greatest and most difficult work. In this solo performance staying closely to the plays text but with some added Shakespeare words, Pip explores the themes of power. authority, fatherhood and kingship and decline.

These themes are as relevant today as ever

Reviews of King  Lear premiere  - Prague Fringe '25

Pip Utton is a self-styled "strolling player," a point he emphasizes by noting that he has performed in venues "ranging from London’s Royal Albert Hall to Prague’s A Studio Rubin; from Chicago’s Theatre Chopin to Mumbai’s Sophia Bhabha Auditorium; from Edinburgh’s Assembly Ballroom to Horningsham’s Village Hall." He has become an institution as a solo performer on the modern fringe festival circuit. It’s fitting, then, that this man, who espouses the tradition of wandering theatre troupes from a bygone era, should now turn to The Bard for his latest monodrama.

A man tormented by hindsight, full of emotion, rage and tearfulness

Utton first appeared at the Prague Fringe in 2008, and this year, he performs the world premiere of his adaptation of Shakespeare’s great tragedy, King Lear. While he may not have Lear’s “fourscore and upward” years, the 73 he has certainly add to the credibility of his remarkable performance. If Romeo requires youthfulness, Lear demands the weight of years and a lifetime of theatrical experience—along with stamina. In the intimacy of A Studio Rubin, we are as close as possible to the actor, who can hide nothing from us. And Utton doesn’t want to. He invites us to join him on yet another of his journeys, which, he says, are fuelled by his imagination.

To explore King Lear in the span of an hour is a huge undertaking, but Utton rises to the occasion. He remains faithful to The Bard’s words, occasionally adding a thoughtful aside. For his solo show, he juggles the scene order, initially presenting Lear in a state of madness. Over time, we come to understand that senile dementia has slowly taken hold of him over the years. He still remembers the decisions he made but is now immersed in regret. He incredulously laments how he was duped by the false affections of Goneril and Regan, whose subsequent actions exposed his errors in judgment. He also bemoans his rash decision to disinherit Cordelia.

Utton portrays a tragic figure—a man who once nobly wore the crown he gave away and now wanders aimlessly, with a circle of flowers on his head and royal robes reduced to the simple attire of a mendicant. He tells the main story, delivering the great speeches and turning points as flashbacks, like a man tormented by hindsight. Full of emotion, rage, and tearfulness, he always gives words their full weight, respecting Shakespeare’s meter in a poetic performance.

He’s taking Pip Utton: King Lear to Edinburgh this year. If you want to witness a master of his craft in action, this is the show to see.

Richard Beck – Broadway Baby

Pip Utton has earned a stellar reputation over the years and is often a fringe theatre favourite amongst those craving some classic theatrical storytelling. I had not had the pleasure of witnessing his apparent grandeur until this week and, as my rating makes clear, I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

King Lear is a classic, obviously. It’s been done a million times by a million different companies and performers both professional and amateur alike. Why does Lear endure like the other great classics of Shakespeare’s pantheon? Is it the story? The complex relationship between Lear and his daughters? The great tragedy of his life? I am not the right person to ask, I can tell you why Lear endures at the Prague Fringe Festival and his name, is Pip Utton.

This one-man performance of Lear is a tour de force for Utton. It is not an obvious choice for a one-person production as the play usually relies on many different characters and King Lear’s relationship with each one. Utton choices to direct dialogue to audience members when conversing with characters and using the silence and his reactions for the audience to infer meaning. It’s been very cleverly cut together, obviously as a one act version of the play, large swaths of dialogue and classic Shakespeare filler have been thrown away, keeping many of the play’s iconic monologues and soliloquies intact despite this. It’s a clever way of preserving the main beats of the story without completely ditching any contextual relevance. Minimal costume and props keep things easy and fluid to transition from scene to scene and cover significant time jumps in this new abridged version.

Whilst, as Shakespeare goes, this version offers something new (although not unheard of) for the audience, my focus of this review is Utton himself. He is (and I do not say this lightly) possibly the most engaging actor I’ve ever witnessed in the flesh. He is completely captivating. His range from strong King and his subsequent decent into madness is dazzling. His booming voice cuts through the room like a razor and his tender subtle tones pull on the heartstrings, both equally powerful and both equally impressive. Simply put I am in awe of him.

This show offers little new content for Shakespeare fans; but goodness me I have never seen this character performed so well in my life. This is a must see for Shakespeare fans looking for something powerful.

Mike Dorey – Binge Fringe

King Lear is one of the most iconic tragedies plays by the hand of the bard, William Shakespeare. With a normal running time of over three hours, the relationships and complexity of the play required the time for the tragedy to develop and conclude.

Pip Utton’s adapted version of King Lear runs for 45 minutes. Anyone familiar with the original storyline cannot fail to be impressed by the attention to the details included in the performance.

The storyline is set in the original plays Act 3, scene 4. Lear has been cast out by his two daughters Goneril and Regan, with who he divided his land and his third daughter Cordelia whom he turned away as she refused to pander to his demands of an over inflated declaration of love for him.

Cordelia and her husband, King of France are about to declare war on England and Lear believes that the pair will meet up and become reunited once again. However, as anyone familiar with the story will know this never takes place.

During Act 3, scene 4 a storm is raging and the thunder and lighting reflect the madness Lear is facing as his mental and emotional well being is declining rapidly and old age takes over.

Several times Utton breaks the fourth wall as he grapples with understanding what is happening and reflecting on his past behavior. Vanity and ego took over and destroyed the bonds and relationships he once had with all three of his daughters.

Utton is a powerful performer who becomes the distraught King with believable ease. It was such a pleasure to witness a stripped-back version of one of my favourite Shakespeare plays without any of the main themes missing.

It doesn’t matter whether you are familiar with the original story or not you will feel you know the text by the end of this performance.

Five Stars.

ElaineC – theatreandartsreviews.com

In brief, for those who do not know Shakespeare’s story. King Lear is getting old. He divides his kingdom between his two eldest daughters who don’t love him but flatter him. The third daughter who loves him but refuses to flatter him is banished. T

The older daughters then reject him and refuse him shelter in their homes. Lear goes mad with grief and wanders in the forest in a storm. His exiled daughter raises an army and returns but loses the battle and is hanged.

Pip Utton is a veteran of the stage and this year he premiers another of his famous one man shows, this time based on King Lear. Mostly keeping true to Shakespeare’s words and only speaking Lear’s words he reduces what is usually a 3-hour play to just 45 emotional minutes.

As the show opens Lear is seated in a woodland with attending bird calls, a sad and broken man making a crown from leaves and berries. A couple of latecomers creeping in were welcomed in character but without being humiliated, true professionalism.

Stripped down as it is, the performance focuses on Lear’s internal conflicts. Utton transforms himself physically and emotionally between anger, sadness and grief.

Utton draws out Lear’s signs of dementia and infuses his performance with compassion. He gives a heart-rending performance in the final scene, cradling his dead daughter in his arms as he refuses to believe she is dead.

Five Stars.

Reviewer Nina Gardner. theatreandartsreviews.com