Exit the King
by Eugene Ionesco, Donald Watson

BroadwayOff-BroadwayWest EndOff-West End
Exit the King Book Cover
Exit the King Cover

Highlights

120 minsPresent DayStrong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle)Interior SetPeriod Costumes

Awards & Recognition

Tony Award

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

PublisherSamuel French
BindingPaperback
ISBN-139780573011238
ISBN-100573011230

Exit the King is a play written by Eugene Ionesco and published by Samuel French.

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Rating

3.8

11 ratings·24 reviews

Review

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Performance Rights

Available for Licensing
Amateur & Professional
Fee:Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Restrictions: Major Markets Only (US) / Standard Restriction (UK)

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