Editing King Lear (section)

=== 21st century ===
In 2002 and 2010, the [[Hudson Shakespeare Company]] of New Jersey staged separate productions as part of their respective [[Shakespeare in the Park festivals|Shakespeare in the Parks]] seasons. The 2002 version was directed by Michael Collins and transposed the action to a West Indies, nautical setting. Actors were featured in outfits indicative of looks of various Caribbean islands. The 2010 production directed by Jon Ciccarelli was fashioned after the atmosphere of the film ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' with a palette of reds and blacks and set the action in an urban setting. Lear (Tom Cox) appeared as a head of multi-national conglomerate who divided up his fortune among his socialite daughter Goneril (Brenda Scott), his officious middle daughter Regan (Noelle Fair) and university daughter Cordelia (Emily Best).{{sfn|Beckerman|2010}}

In 2012, renowned Canadian director Peter Hinton directed an all-[[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] production of ''King Lear'' at the [[National Arts Centre]] in Ottawa, Ontario, with the setting changed to an [[Algonquin people|Algonquin]] nation in the 17th century.{{sfn|Nestruck|2012}} The cast included [[August Schellenberg]] as Lear, [[Billy Merasty]] as Gloucester, [[Tantoo Cardinal]] as Regan, [[Kevin Loring]] as Edmund, [[Jani Lauzon]] in a [[dual role]] as Cordelia and the Fool, and [[Craig Lauzon]] as Kent.{{sfn|Nestruck|2012}} 

In 2015, Toronto's [[Theatre Passe Muraille]] staged a production set in [[Upper Canada]] against the backdrop of the [[Upper Canada Rebellion]] of 1837. This production starred [[David Fox (actor)|David Fox]] as Lear.{{sfn|Ouzounian|2015}}

In the summer of 2015–2016, The [[Sydney Theatre Company]] staged ''King Lear'', directed by [[Neil Armfield]] with [[Geoffrey Rush]] in the lead role and [[Robyn Nevin]] as the Fool. About the madness at the heart of the play, Rush said that for him "it's about finding the dramatic impact in the moments of his mania. What seems to work best is finding a vulnerability or a point of empathy, where an audience can look at Lear and think how shocking it must be to be that old and to be banished from your family into the open air in a storm. That's a level of impoverishment you would never want to see in any other human being, ever."{{sfn|Blake|2015}}

In 2016, [[Talawa Theatre Company]] and [[Royal Exchange Manchester]] co-produced a production of ''King Lear'' with [[Don Warrington]] in the title role.{{sfn|Hutchison|2015}} The production, featuring a largely black cast, was described in ''The Guardian'' as being "as close to definitive as can be".{{sfn|Hickling|2016}} ''The Daily Telegraph'' wrote that "Don Warrington's King Lear is a heartbreaking tour de force".{{sfn|Allfree|2016}} ''King Lear'' was staged by [[Royal Shakespeare Company]], with Antony Sher in the lead role. The performance was directed by Gregory Doran and was described as having "strength and depth".{{sfn|Billington|2016}}

In 2017, the [[Guthrie Theater]] produced a production of ''King Lear'' with [[Stephen Yoakam]] in the title role. [[Armin Shimerman]] appeared as the fool, portraying it with "an unusual grimness, but it works",{{sfn|Ringham|2017}} in a production that was hailed as "a devastating piece of theater, and a production that does it justice".{{sfn|Ringham|2017}}

''King Lear'' was part of the [[Stratford Festival|Stratford Festival's]] 2023 season, with [[Paul Gross]] playing the title role. The production was directed by Kimberley Rampersad, and was set in "The near future. A kingdom on the precipice."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/WhatsOn/PlaysAndEvents/Production/King-Lear | title=King Lear &#124; Stratford Festival Official Website }}</ref>

In October 2023, a new production directed by and starring [[Kenneth Branagh]], set in Neolithic Britain, began a strictly limited run in London's [[West End theatre|West End]] and was transferred to [[The Shed (arts center)|The Shed]] in New York City in October 2024.{{sfn|Wiegand|2023}} A version in modern dress was mounted in February 2024 at the [[Almeida Theatre]], directed by [[Yaël Farber]]. The production featured a much younger Lear, portrayed by [[Danny Sapani]], alongside [[Clarke Peters]] as the Fool, [[Fra Fee]] as Edmund, Gloria Obianyo as Cordelia, [[Matthew Tennyson]] as Edgar, and [[Alec Newman]] as Kent.