Exit the King
by Eugene Ionesco, Donald Watson
Highlights
Awards & Recognition
Winner! 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Geoffrey Rush) Nominee: Four 2009 Tony Awards
Synopsis
First produced in 1963 starring Alec Guinness and successfully revived to great acclaim on Broadway in 2009, this absurdist exploration of ego and mortality is set in the crumbling throne-room of the palace in an unnamed country where King Berenger the First has only the duration of the play to live.
Once, it seemed he ruled over an immense empire and commanded great armies, but now his kingdom has shrunk to the confines of his garden wall.
Refusing to accept his end, he is attended by his present and former Queens who must help him face the final inevitable truth of life: death.
Press Reviews
"Vivaciously performed and full of regal ritual."
— The Guardian
"Thrilling, precise and demanding."
— New York Theatre Guide
"The imagination itself is original, bizarre, powerful. The most moving of all Ionesco’s plays, if only from the width of its sympathies. It is incomparably his greatest work."
— The New York Times
Characters
| Character |
|---|
King Berenger |
Queen Marguerite |
Juliette |
Queen Marie |
Doctor |
The Guard |
Videos
Exit the King – 2009 Broadway Production Opening Night
Publication
Exit the King is a play written by Eugene Ionesco and published by Samuel French (1963).
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Buy Play
Paperback
Samuel French · 1963 · 47 pp
Performance Rights
Restrictions: Major Markets Only (US) / Standard Restriction (UK)
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