King Lear divides his kingdom between the two daughters who hate but flatter him, snubbing the one daughter who truly loves him. He goes mad and wanders the heath, while the rebuffed daughter seeks to save him. In the end, nearly everyone dies. This fall, Kenneth Branagh presents a fresh take on William Shakespeare’s oft-staged tragedy. A veteran of Shakespeare on both stage and screen, he’s directed and starred in several film adaptations of The Bard’s plays, including Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Hamlet, and As You Like It. Marking his return to the stage after a decade-long hiatus, Branagh both directs this production of King Lear and stars in the title role. —Jensen Davis