Coming up on Monday, January 23, is Red Bull Theater’s reading of Beaumont and Fletcher’s juicy tragicomedy A King and No King. A King and No King is one of the best known and most highly praised works in the Beaumont and Fletcher canon.
First performed in 1611, A King and No King remained popular during the 17th and 18th centuries because of its observations about the nature and limits of royal power…and what happens when the monarch falls short of the kingly ideal and transgresses against “natural law.” The play was frequently produced after the Restoration, and the phrase “a king and no king” entered the popular lexicon as a commentary on the problems associated with the kingship of Charles II. Prominent fans of A King and No King included Samuel Pepys and John Dryden, whose own play Love Triumphant (1694) bears a strong resemblance to Beaumont and Fletcher’s play.
Michael Sexton, Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Society, will direct the reading. There will be a post-reading Bull Session with Professor Mario DiGangi.
A King and No King stars Matthew Rauch as Arbaces, the eponymous king (and yet no king…you’ll have to come to the show to find out why). The wonderful cast for this reading also includes Michelle Beck, Guy Boyd, Jennifer Ikeda, Mark Nelson, Robert Stanton, and Sam Tsoutsouvas.
For tickets to A King and No King, please click here.
A King and No King
Monday, January 23, 7:30 p.m.
The Theater at St. Clements
423 West 46th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)
New York City
For more information about Red Bull Theater’s Obie-winning Revelation Readings and this season’s full schedule, please click here.
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Red Bull Theater 