Shakespeare: Three Tragedies (Royal Shakespeare Company)

Paapa Essiedu (Hamlet (Hamlet)/Edmund (King Lear)); Marcus Griffiths (Laertes (Hamlet)); Cyril Nri (Polonius (Hamlet)); Natalie Simpson (Ophelia (Hamlet)); Antony Sher (King Lear (King Lear)); Nia Gwynee (Goneril (King Lear)); Natalie Simpson (Cordelia (King Lear)); Hugh Quarshie (Othello (Othello)); Joanna Vanderham (Desdemona (Othello)); Lucian Msamati (Iago (Othello)); Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (Cassio (Othello));

Three of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies are presented here as a 3-BD set. Rising star Paapa Essiedu gives a stunning performance in Simon Godwin’sriveting contemporary take on Hamlet ; Antony Sher leads the way as the proudbut fatally flawed monarch in RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran’s acclaimedKing Lear ; completing the collection is Iqbal Khan’s astonishing and ground-breakingproduction of Othello, featuring Hugh Quarshie in the title role andLucian Msamati as Iago.

HAMLET

Hamlet - Paapa Essiedu

Laertes - Marcus Griffiths

Polonius - Cyril Nri

Ophelia - Natalie Simpson

Director - Simon Godwin

KING LEAR

King Lear - Antony Sher

Edmund - Paapa Essiedu

Goneril - Nia Gwynee

Cordelia - Natalie Simpson

Director - Greg Doran

OTHELLO

Othello - Hugh Quarshie

Desdemona - Joanna Vanderham

Iago - Lucian Msamati

Cassio - Jacob Fortune-Lloyd

Director - Iqbal Khan

Reviews

"It is an utterly engaging performance by Paapa Essiedu." (The Times - Hamlet ★★★★)

"Sher is magnificent at the fierce, rebarbative side of this monarch. Reduced to long johns and a white shirt, he also affectingly communicates the man who, liberated by adversity, exposes himself to feel what wretches feel ..." (The Independent - King Lear ★★★★)

"Iqbal Khan’s compellingly fresh production casts at its heart two black actors. Lucian Msamati’s charming, charismatic Iago sets out to destroy Hugh Quarshie’s restrained and anti-heroic Othello out of an inexplicable hatred that cannot easily be categorised as racism." (The Stage - Othello ★★★★)