Playhouse

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From prize-winning fiction writer Richard Bausch comes a sharp, affecting novel centered on a close-knit theater community in Memphis during a turbulent production of King Lear. As renovations begin at the Shakespeare Theater of Memphis, the core members face disarray. The trusted director has retired, leaving theater manager Thaddeus Deerforth, nearing forty and sensing a growing rift with his wife, anxious about the arrival of an imperious visiting director. Claudette, an actor struggling to make ends meet and dealing with family troubles, receives frequent calls from her ex-boyfriend and the narcissistic television actor cast as King Lear. Meanwhile, Malcolm Ruark, a disgraced TV anchor reeling from a scandal involving his underaged niece, finds himself in a precarious situation when she is cast as Cordelia. As tensions rise both onstage and off, the bonds among the characters are tested, and the fate of the theater hangs in the balance. Weaving together the perspectives of Thaddeus, Claudette, and Malcolm, the narrative uniquely incorporates Shakespeare’s timeless drama, creating an unforgettable story of human frailty, art, and redemption—a testament to Bausch's imaginative prowess.