
167. Why does Ian McKellen have unfinished business with King Lear?
From The WhatsOnStage Podcast by Sarah Crompton & Alex Wood
May 15, 2026 · 33 min
About this episode
Sarah and Alex discuss Ian McKellen's return to King Lear and the impact of streamed theatre.
And who gives a Krapp about Beckett? Sarah and Alex have been ranging across the country, seeing shows in Bowness-on-Windermere and Brighton recently, but still find time to mull over the biggest news stories of the week – from the plans for Ian McKellen to return to the stage in a new version of King Lear at the Yard, and the National Theatre's report into the impact of streamed theatre. Plus, Sarah reminisces about her favourite performers who have tackled the title role in Krapp's Last Tape. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Hosts: Sarah Crompton, Alex Wood
Topics covered
- theatre
- Ian McKellen
- King Lear
- streamed theatre
- performers
- Krapp's Last Tape
Keywords
- Ian McKellen
- King Lear
- theatre
- Krapp's Last Tape
- National Theatre
- streamed theatre
- performers
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: National Theatre
Books & works: King Lear, Krapp's Last Tape
Places: Bowness-on-Windermere, Brighton
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