Kevin McNally to Play Lear at the Globe Theatre

Chiswick-based actor to start in Nancy Meckler's forthcoming production

Kevin McNally the Chiswick based actor best known for his role as Gibbs in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series is to take on the role of King Lear in the Globe Theatre's forthcoming production.

His other screen credits include The Man Who Knew Infinity and the BBC's Fleabag. On stage, he played Claudius in Michael Grandage's Hamlet in the West End and on Broadway, David Bliss in Howard Davies' Hay Fever in the West End, and Alan Bennett in Nick Hytner's original production of The Lady in the Van. Recently he has been seen portraying a hawkish American general in the Netflix series Designated Survivor.

In 2014 Kevin opened the Bedford Park Festival. The previous the proceedings were opened by his wife Phyllis Logan who plays Mrs Hughes in Downton Abbey.

Nancy Meckler is the founder and former Artistic Director of renowned theatre company Shared Experience. Her numerous productions for them include the award-winning Anna Karenina, Heartbreak House, True West, The Birthday Party, The Bacchae and Orestes. She has also directed at major venues including the RSC, Royal Court and Almeida, and is a former associate director of Hampstead Theatre and Leicester Haymarket. She became the first woman to direct a major production at the National Theatre, with Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

King Lear will play in the Globe Theatre from Thursday 10 August – Saturday 14 October.  Book tickets.

April 9, 2017