Lewis Reynolds is directing David Ryall in the title role of King Lear with Charlie Ryall playing Lear’s daughter, Cordelia, in a production that opens next month at London's Cockpit.
David Ryall has had an extensive stage career. Whilst on screen, he has played Elphias Doge in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and on television he appeared as Granddad in a number of series of BBC1 sitcom Outnumbered.
Lewis Reynolds originally trained as an actor at the National Youth Theatre and Cambridge Footlights before training as a director at Welsh National Opera and the Royal Opera.
He said “The idea of doing King Lear came about as David Ryall and I developed a relationship on Iphigenia at Aulis.
"I met David [when] he was playing Feste in Peter Hall's production of Twelfth Night at the National Theatre. I asked him whether he would play Calchas in Iphigenia; he agreed, and ended up playing Clytemnestra as well.
"As David and I found we enjoyed working together, we started talking about Lear. It was a fantasy at first, but in the end, we thought, why not?”
King Lear plays The Cockpit from 6 to 29 March. It is suitable for ages 11+. For further information and booking visit the Cockpit web site.