König Lear

In the organizer's words:

by William Shakespeare - Premiere on February 1, 2025 - Schauspielhaus, Großes Haus - Schauspiel

Women to power! That's what the king himself thinks. Old Lear wants to abdicate and decides to divide the kingdom between his three daughters. However, it is not the suitability of the heirs to the throne for the high office that is to be decisive for their respective inheritance, but the daughters' love for their father. What should have been an act of state turns into a staging of emotions, a competition in the art of public declarations of love. When Lear's youngest daughter remains silent, he banishes her without further ado. But does this change the balance of power? Will the conflicts between the sexes, between the generations, be resolved? In return for the division of his kingdom, Lear expects love, gratitude - and the preservation of his royal privileges. In the face of his dwindling authority, the old man is overcome by the desire to once again lay everything around him in ruins. He pushes his two remaining daughters to the limit and they pay him back in kind.

In the third part of his Shakespeare trilogy, director Evgeny Titov explores the question of why it is so difficult to let go of power and trust in love. "King Lear" tells of the self-destruction of a world and its inhabitants, above all of the aged king himself and his fall into an apocalyptic state of nature. Burghart Klaußner, one of the most renowned German-speaking actors, will take on the challenges of this role, which is unique in dramatic literature. The actor, author and director, who has won numerous awards including the German Film Prize, was last seen at the D'haus in the title role in Brecht's "Galileo Galilei".