In his strong voice, El-Fakharany announces the start of the show and asks the audience to turn off their phones—almost a pact he makes every evening with the spectators.
Presenting King Lear for the third time, the great actor continues to attract audiences almost two months after the play's premiere.
From his first appearance on stage, the 80-year-old actor slips into the character simply by placing the crown on his head, modulating his voice, and adjusting his facial expressions.
He does so while masterfully delivering the text in classical Arabic and acting naturally without forced gestures or unnecessary movements. He knows his character’s reactions as well as the lines on his hand—after all, he has embodied the role for over 20 years.
“I love your majesty according to my bond”
Director Shady Sorour remains faithful to the Shakespearean text, which guides us through this iconic human tragedy, exploring themes such as children’s ingratitude, family ties, loyalty, and betrayal.
The plot follows King Lear, who decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. The share each receives depends on the love she shows him.
The two older daughters, Goneril and Regan, flatter him continuously, while the youngest, Cordelia, honest and sincere, refuses to participate in his game and declines his offer, saying:
“Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave
My heart into my mouth: I love your majesty
According to my bond; no more nor less.”
Furious, the father disinherits her and severs all ties with her.
Yet the following events only lead to the king losing his mind as well as his kingdom. Goneril and Regan betray him, and Cordelia marries the King of France. When war erupts between the English and French armies, bringing French defeat, Cordelia and her father are imprisoned by the orders of the two sisters.
Eventually, Cordelia is hanged, and the king dies of grief.
A character constantly renewed
The first time El-Fakharany presented Lear was in 2001, also at the National Theatre, in a play directed by Ahmad Abdel-Halim.
The second version, produced by the private company Cairo Show and directed by Tamer Karam, dates back to 2019.
According to the actor, he has fallen in love with the Arabic version since 2001, mainly due to the faithful and poetic translation by scholar Fatma Moussa, one of the few Arabic versions characterized by such masterful translation.
Naturally, in the earlier versions, El-Fakharany was younger than Shakespeare’s old king; yet, he has always excelled in portraying the monarch losing his mind, as well as the posture and gait of an old man.
During the memorable 2001 performance, El-Fakharany's movements were highly elaborate, whether on stage or among the audience. After his daughter’s hanging, the king carries her body in his arms, letting out a long cry of pain while moving from the entrance to the stage—creating one of the most iconic scenes.
Director Abdel-Halim also used various techniques to make the early 17th-century text more accessible and relatable, emphasizing the social dimension—family conflict and children’s ingratitude.
The play incorporated dialect poetry by Ahmad Fouad Negm and music by the renowned Egyptian composer Rageh Daoud.
It was this version that inspired El-Fakharany to adapt the Shakespearean character into a TV series titled Dahsha (Astonishment), which aired during Ramadan 2014.
Directed by his son, Shady El-Fakharany, and adapted from the text by writer Abdel-Rahim Kamal, the story is set in Upper Egypt, with dialogues that carry a characteristically southern dialect.
In the 2019 Cairo Show version, the director favoured a more spectacular production, highlighting grand sets and costumes, with well-known actors in secondary roles: Farouk El-Fishawy, Rania Farid Shawky, and Riham Abdel-Ghafour.
In it, El-Fakharany’s performance focused on intonation and physical expression, targeting a wealthy audience in Egypt, where it was presented for one month, followed by a few shows in Saudi Arabia.
In the current version, the actor is 80 years old and naturally exhibits the gestures and movements of a truly elderly person.
“Every time I perform King Lear, I get closer to the character. Now, at 80, I’m closer to him... as he is described by Shakespeare as an octogenarian. I no longer adopt the old-man posture as in the first version, which often didn’t suit me,” he said during the press conference a few days before the premiere.
Set in period costumes, El-Fakharany excels in reflecting the king’s moods—from anger to shock to madness—with smooth transitions. He controls his voice’s timbre, intonation, and physical expression, which requires minimal stage movement.
An intimate tragedy
“I find myself consistently fascinated by King Lear,” El-Fakharany revealed during the press conference, pointing to his interest in this particular play ever since he attended it in the UK a few decades back.
“I noticed that internationally, King Lear does not necessarily appeal to a broad audience. But in Egypt, the show is always sold out. I believe this is related to the socio-temporal context and societal changes. Shakespeare’s plot, although very human, does not resonate with a large English audience, unlike here in Egypt, where audiences are sensitive to themes like children’s ingratitude and family bonds.”
Shady Sorour’s mise-en-scène employs innovative projection techniques to create flashbacks, presenting realistic scenes that include soldiers preparing for war, stormy weather, and more.
A simple choreography by Diaa Shafik introduces the land of beggars, where the king has taken refuge after losing his mind, alongside duels between warriors and the two sons (legitimate and illegitimate) of the former royal minister.
Some secondary roles, especially Lear and Gloucester’s (Tarek Dessouky) children, are performed by recent graduates of the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts.
Cordelia and King Lear’s deaths are shown via video projection. The director imagines their meeting in heaven, where they enjoy a peaceful life. Their voices convey messages of love and peace.
In voice-over, the king’s affectionate speech to his daughter is heard again.
The scene ends with a zoom on El-Fakharany’s face, where there is still a glimmer of hope.
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This article was originally published in Al-Ahram Hebdo (French) on 27 August 2025. Translation and additional edit: Ahram Online.
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