The Malachites to Present BAFTA Nominee John McEnery in KING LEAR

"THIS GIFTED COMPANY DESERVES WEST-END EXPOSURE" British Theatre Guide

The aged King Lear has had a long and peaceful reign, but he has no living male heir. In dividing the kingdom among his three daughters Lear sets the stage for his own destruction, as Ancient Britain ripped apart by its rulers.

In perhaps his darkest turn, Shakespeare's imagination has transformed this ancient folk tale into one of the most gruesome and harrowing tragedies ever written as families divide, order descends into chaos and the state slides into war.

Starring BAFTA-NOMINATED actor and modern Shakespeare-great JOHN MCENERY (National Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe) in the title role, The Malachites are proud to announce our latest production - Shakespeare's monumental pagan tragedy KING LEAR.

John has starred in a number of the 20th century's landmark productions. From his Bafta-nomination as Mercutio in Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, to Laurence Olivier's Othello and Mark Rylance's Richard II, John's long and distinguished career has led him inexorably toward this performance of Shakespeare's most evocative and challenging role in this spellbinding new site-specific experience, set within the crumbling grandeur of Peckham's Asylum.

The Malachites have assembled a superb cast including returning favourites Stephen Connery-Brown (Shylock) as Gloucester, Nick Finegan (Richard II) as Edmund, and John's own daughter Phoebe Beacham as Regan. This production also features a stunning new live score from one of Britain's most exciting young composers, Deborah Pritchard (BBC Radio 3; National Gallery; ESO; Worcester College, Oxford).

Led by one of London's brightest up-and-coming theatre directors, Benjamin Blyth (Christ's College, Cambridge; RADA) unaccommodated man is set on the rack as Shakespeare's epic tragedy is brought to life in a spectacular new site-specific production suitable for Shakespeare lovers and theatre newcomers alike, featuring a phenomenal performance from one of the greatest living Shakespearean actors.

TICKETS: £15 (£9 CONC) available from See Tickets (0871 220 0260 and online www.seetickets.com) and on the door (cash only)