King Lear - Royal Exchange Theatre

Not to be missed - King Lear Lear at the Exchange.

THE original setting may well be pre-Roman Britain and yet Matthew Dunster’s production opens with Lear and guests dancing the night away to The Smiths and The Cure, to name just two of the iconic artists to feature on their party tape.

And the decision to make this opening oh so modern lulls the audience into a false sense of security as to the string of catastrophic events that are to come, triggered by Lear being fooled by the flattery of his power hungry daughters, Regan and Goneril, when the ageing monarch asks them why the love him.

The saintly Cordelia, when quizzed, says she loves him simply because he’s her dad. As a result, she’s banished from the kingdom.

Its tempting to think of Lear as a bleak and depressing play by Shakespeare and yet Shakespeare’s script is peppered with just the right amount of humour, bought so brilliantly to the fore by Manchester actor David Threllfall.

But Threlfall, who hangs on every line, is of course, equally adept when it comes to conveying the human tragedy that runs through this remarkable and challenging play for actors and audience alike.

Then there’s THAT scene involving Lear and Cordelia played by Isobel Akuwudike which remains one of the most moving the Bard ever wrote.

Bad productions just aren’t a part of Dunster’s DNA and there are numerous performances to enjoy from the likes of Jason Done as Kent, Jonathan Singer as Gloucester and Nadine Shah as a wicked witch of the West style Goneril.

Threlfall is the best King Lear I’ve ever seen - Richard Briers and Don Warrington are the other two - and his performance will live long in the memories of those who see it.

But theatregoers and newcomers to Shakespeare must be prepared to concentrate to get the most out of a production that’s as touching as it is full blooded.

Fabulous theatre - Shakespeare simply doesn’t get any better than this.

Until November 15. Tickets are available from www.royalexchange.co.uk.

Star rating - 4.5 out of 5.

Photo - Helen Murray.