Romanian born French playwright Eugène Ionesco died in 1994, but his musical Exit the King lives on, and is currently being played at the Barrymore Theatre on Broadway, in New York. Described as a “Loopy Tragedy” by the New York Post, this musical is far from traditional and definitely falls well within its given title of “absurdist.” The musical follows well in line with Ionesco's other works, rejecting logical plot, character development, and thought to create an anarchic form that was completely his own; in this way making him a sort of Dr. Seuss for the adult theater-goers.
The musical tells the story of King Berenger who has lived an incredibly long life, but has somehow managed to ruin his entire country in the process. This king who once ruled and incredible kingdom that was thriving and brilliant is now only the ruler of a meager few thousand, and most of these are elderly or aging. Despite the fact that he has lived much longer than anyone really has a right to, this king is terrified of dying to the point where he refuses to believe the inevitable, at least at first.
Geoffrey Rush is currently brilliantly portraying this king, and doing a marvelous job at fraying at the edges as his kingdom frays around him. Rush is an Australian Academy Award and Emmy Award winning actor who has appeared in Shakespearean plays, he has also appeared in an number of Broadway plays and musicals and has an impressive movie character repertoire as well. His movie appearances include Captain Barbosa in the Pirates of the Carribean trilogy and Inspector Javert in Les Misérable. During his career he has won an Oscar, two Golden Globes, and a number of other important awards and nominations. His awards also include an Australian Academy Award and an Emmy Award.
Susan Sarandon is staring alongside Rush, playing the part of his wife Queen Marguerite, who is trying to shove the king into his grave, as he continues to try and thwart death. Sarandon's incredible acting repertoire has stayed largely in the movies, although she has appeared on Broadway once before in An Evening With Richard Nixon and...a satirical play. In film Sarandon is an Academy Award-winning actress with an Oscar Award for Best Actress, and several Emmy and Oscar nominations to name only a few.
Exit the King tickets are tickets to one of the most incredible acting and theatrical experiences of the year. With two of today's finest actors on the set, anything is possible and anything can and will happen! This is also a great way to experience the revival of a musical by one of the 21st Century's greatest playwrights. Eugéne Ionesco, whose plays were an iconic and important production of his time. His ability to fly in the face of convention has created stories and theatrical presentations that are increasingly relevant as the years go by. Look for tickets at http://www.stubhub.com/exit-the-king-broadway-tickets today!
