King Lear is a 1953 live television adaptation of the Shakespeare play staged by Peter Brook and starring Orson Welles. Preserved on kinescope, it aired October 18, 1953, as part of the CBS television series Omnibus, hosted by Alistair Cooke. The cast includes Micheál Mac Liammóir and Alan Badel.
Contents
Production
A heavily abridged version of the play, this production condensed the play by eliminating the characters of Edgar and Edmund. To compensate for their absence, the role of Oswald is expanded to take Edmund's part in the play's climax, and "Poor Tom" is included not as a disguised Edgar but as an actual madman.
Welles returned to America to star in this presentation. He was guarded by IRS agents, prohibited to leave his hotel room when not at the studio, prevented from making any purchases, and the entire sum (less expenses) he earned went to his tax bill. Welles returned to England after the broadcast.
Cast
Orson Welles as King Lear
Natasha Parry as Cordelia
Arnold Moss as Duke of Albany
Bramwell Fletcher as Earl of Kent
David J. Stewart as Oswald
Margaret Phillips as Regan
Beatrice Straight as Goneril
Alan Badel as Fool
Micheál Mac Liammóir as Poor Tom
Frederick Worlock as Earl of Gloucester
Scott Forbes as Duke of Cornwall
Wesley Addy as King of France
Fred Sadoff as Duke of Burgundy
Home media
2010 E1 Entertainment, Region 1 DVD, February 9, 2010 ISBN 978-1-4172-3287-1