John Kani’s Kunene and the King, a US premiere, brings us two great actors in a great play that explores the complex relationship between two South African men.
Written by South African actor, activist and playwright John Kani, this refreshingly funny and vital new play had its US premiere in 2025 at Shakespeare Theatre Company.
South Africa, 2019. Twenty-five years since the first post-apartheid democratic elections, two men from contrasting walks of life are thrust together to reflect on a quarter century of change. Jack Morris (Edward Gero) is a celebrated classical actor who’s just been given both a career-defining role and a life-changing diagnosis. Besides his age, Jack has seemingly little in common with his at-home nurse Lunga Kunene, (John Kani) but the two men soon discover their shared passion for Shakespeare, which ignites this ‘rich, raw and shattering head-to-head’ (The Times).
For information and times of performances click link below
Edward Gero is a distinguished American actor whose five-decade career stands at the intersection of classical rigor, contemporary relevance, and civic storytelling. Renowned for his intellectual precision and emotional authority, he has become one of the defining stage actors of his generation.
A cornerstone of the Washington, D.C. theatre community since the early 1980s, Gero is a six-time Helen Hayes Award recipient with nineteen nominations and has appeared in more than one hundred and fifty productions nationwide. His work in New York and at major regional theaters—including CSC Rep, 59E59, STC, Arena Stage, Studio Theater, Goodman Theater, The Guthrie, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Asolo Rep, and Pasadena Playhouse—has encompassed Shakespeare, modern American classics and musicals, and landmark new plays.
He is nationally recognized for originating the role of Justice Antonin Scalia in The Originalist, and for acclaimed performances in Kunene and the King, The Lehman Trilogy, RED, Angels in America, and King Lear. His film and television credits include House of Cards, TURN: Washington’s Spies, Die Hard II, and Striking Distance, along with significant documentary narration for PBS and Discovery Channel.
A recipient of the 2015 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship and a 2024 inductee into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre, Gero retired in 2025 as Professor Emeritus of Theater after 33 years at George Mason University. He continues an active professional career while developing an international retreat for artists in southern Italy.
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One thought on “Kunene and the King Set for The Guthrie in 2026 and ArtsEmerson in 2027!”
Eddie,So good to hear from you! Tell me the dates and I’ll do my best to attend!I’m living
Eddie,So good to hear from you! Tell me the dates and I’ll do my best to attend!I’m living
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