'King Lear' to stage for 1st time in Ramadan on May 17

CAIRO – 12 April 2019:The successful play "King Lear" will stage for the first time in Ramadan on Friday, May17.

A number of Arab ambassadors were keen to watch "King Lear", including the Saudi, Jordanian, Bahraini and Moroccan ambassadors.

The play starsveteran actor Yehia al Fakharany as King Lear along with renowned star Farouk el Fishawy, Mohamed Farag, NohaAbdeen, HebaMagdy, Riham Abdel Ghafour, Rania FaridShawky, Ahmed Azmy, Ahmed FouadSelim, Nedal el Shafie, among others.

"King Lear" is a tragic play written by William Shakespeare. It depicts the gradual descent into madness of the king after he disposes of his kingdom by giving bequests to two of his three daughters egged on by their continual flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all.

Lear, the aging king of Britain, decides to step down from the throne and divide his kingdom evenly among his three daughters. First, however, he puts his daughters through a test, asking each to tell him how much she loves him.

Goneril and Regan, Lear’s older daughters, give their father flattering answers. But Cordelia, Lear’s youngest and favorite daughter, remains silent, saying that she has no words to describe how much she loves her father. Lear flies into a rage and disowns Cordelia. Lear quickly learns that he made a bad decision.

Goneril and Regan swiftly begin to undermine the little authority that Lear still holds.Unable to believe that his beloved daughters are betraying him, Lear slowly goes insane.

Derived from the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman Celtic king, the play has been widely adapted for the stage and motion pictures, with the title role coveted by many of the world's most accomplished actors.

The play was performed in Egypt in 2011 staringFakharany along with SawsanBadr, Ahmed Salama, Riham Abdel Ghafour, Ashraf Abdel Ghafour, Salwa Ali, MarwaAbdekMoneim and Rushdi el-Shami.

The play achieved great success when it was first released.