FOOL: The Hilarious True Story of King Lear

Based on the novel by Christopher Moore

Christopher Moore's bestselling novel – "a comic counter‑narrative, a gleefully irreverent tale running parallel to the tragedy we think we know" (Curtain Up!) – comes to life in this new adaptation by the co-artistic director of the Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Pocket – King Lear's wise-cracking, string-pulling, truth-telling Fool – hysterically retells Shakespeare's tragedy and uncovers the wickedly comic...

Christopher Moore's bestselling novel – "a comic counter‑narrative, a gleefully irreverent tale running parallel to the tragedy we think we know" (Curtain Up!) – comes to life in this new adaptation by the co-artistic director of the Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Pocket – King Lear's wise-cracking, string-pulling, truth-telling Fool – hysterically retells Shakespeare's tragedy and uncovers the wickedly comic palace intrigue that involves devious daughters, treasonous nobles, treacherous bastards, invading armies, cackling witches, and a ghost (there's always a bloody ghost).

A swashbuckling tale of love and redemption, "Fool" is a bawdy interrogation of who deserves redemption, whose stories get enshrined in literature, and, above all, the restoration of poor doomed Cordelia.

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FOOL: The Hilarious True Story of King Lear

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  • David Templeton: FOOL: The Hilarious True Story of King Lear

    As a fan of Christopher Moore's books ("A Dirty Job," "Anima Rising") and also of Austin Tichenor's work with the literary comedy-troupe The Reduced Shakespeare Company, I cannot imagine a better playwright to adapt Moore's foul-and-frisky "Fool" than Tichenor. Having now read the script, I can confirm it's a match made in bawdy-comedy-Heaven. The trickier adaptive challenges (like staging a sex act taking place through a hole in a monastery wall) are extremely well handled. Check this one out!

    As a fan of Christopher Moore's books ("A Dirty Job," "Anima Rising") and also of Austin Tichenor's work with the literary comedy-troupe The Reduced Shakespeare Company, I cannot imagine a better playwright to adapt Moore's foul-and-frisky "Fool" than Tichenor. Having now read the script, I can confirm it's a match made in bawdy-comedy-Heaven. The trickier adaptive challenges (like staging a sex act taking place through a hole in a monastery wall) are extremely well handled. Check this one out!

Ideally, you'd cast this irreverent retelling with the same actors you'd use in a traditional production of LEAR. There are many opportunities for diverse and gender-blind casting, and while doubling increases the fun of performance, the epic scale is perfect for a college looking for numerous roles for actors.

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization In-house, Year 2022, 2023

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization Highland Arts Theatre (Nova Scotia), Year 2026
  • Type Community Theater, Organization 7 Ages Theatricals, Year 2025