Mercury Summer Theatre

Scenes from King Lear

English · Drama, Tragedy, Radio

Mercury Summer Theatre brings Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre company to radio in a summer series of dramatic performances. This broadcast presents scenes from Shakespeare’s King Lear, bringing the tragedy of an aging king and the unraveling of his family to the microphone.

The program’s appeal lies in hearing a stage-minded company shape classic drama for radio, where voices, dialogue, and sound carry the action. Shakespeare’s language and the play’s themes of power, loyalty, and betrayal offer a concentrated encounter with one of the great tragedies.

Welles’s association with the Mercury Theatre gives the series a strong dramatic identity, while the summer format makes room for a varied selection of literary and theatrical material. This performance offers a focused taste of Shakespeare in an intimate, voice-led radio setting.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.