By Eugéne Ionesco
Translated by Neil Armfield and Geoffrey Rush
Direction Neil Armfield
Cast includes Bille Brown, Julie Forsyth, Gillian Jones, Rebecca Massey,
Geoffrey Rush, David Woods
Set and Costume Design Dale Ferguson
Lighting Design Damien Cooper
Composer John Rodgers
Sound Design Russell Goldsmith

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Please contact the Box Office on 03 9685 5111 regarding our limited
ticket availability.

Why are the heaters not working?

A layer of filth has settled on the throne and the crack in the wall is getting
wider.

The inevitable has come…

The King is down, he has one hour and a half to live. Long Live the King!

Once it seemed King Berenger ruled over an empire, but now his kingdom has
shrunk to the confines of his garden wall, and his nation – constrained to a
population of six – resides in the throne room. His first wife, Queen Marguerite,
is making preparations while his second wife, Queen Marie, refuses to accept
it’s time. He can’t control his guards, his family or even his own bodily
movements – the King must go – and he’s not going to go gracefully.

Eugéne Ionesco’s great absurdist comedy bursts with a theatrical play that
doesn’t let up until the bitter end. Existential sadness is in full bloom and it
meets head to head with the ridiculous pleasure of being alive. This King’s
fight against decline is a tooth-and-nail, hair-tearing scramble for immortality.
And whatever it is that’s sucking the life from him is also closing down the
whole planet. This is comic relief of life-and-death proportions.

LONG LIVE THE KING

Eugéne Ionesco was one of the foremost playwrights of the Theatre of the
Absurd. His plays depict, in a tangible way, the solitude of humans and the
insignificance of one's existence by playing on banal situations. Ionesco wrote
Le Roi Se Meurt in 1962 and it was first performed at Theatre de l’Alliance
Francaise in Paris that year. Many productions followed and the script was
translated for English speaking audiences, from London to Off-Broadway.

In this Australian premiere, Neil Armfield and Geoffrey Rush have re-invigorated
their revered theatrical partnership of many years to devise a new translation
for Malthouse Theatre with Geoffrey joined on stage by a lovely bunch of
clowns including Bille Brown, Julie Forsyth, and Gillian Jones.



Other
Season One ‘07 shows

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Meet the artists: Time to Talk

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Malthouse Education
Exit The King will be included as part of Malthouse Education’s VCE Drama &
Theatre Studies Seminars on Tuesday 27 March, which includes a meeting
with the artists and a viewing of the show. For more information contact Meg
Upton, Education Program Manager, or Mark Doggett, Education Program
Assistant on 03 9685 5165 or

Teachers can also make discounted bookings for their students to all
Malthouse theatre season shows. See the School Bookings page for more
information or contact the Education team.

Getting to the Malthouse
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Other information
Exit the King will be performed in the Merlyn Theatre. Merlyn Theatre
performances are by reservation seating. The Time to Talk session is free for
subscribers, please contact Box Office.