Exit the King

by Eugene Ioenesco, translated by Neil Armfield and Geoffrey Rush

Exit the King was written by Eugene Ioensco in 1962. This translation from Ionesco's French was prepared by Neil Armfield and Geoffrey Rush for the 2007 production of Exit the King at the Malthouse and Belvoir Theatres.

Exit the King is an absurdist comedy about the decline and death of King Berenger and the descent of his court and Kingdom, and indeed the world, into chaos.

 "The hallucinatory, dislocated play reveals a chasm in which there is an  absence of God, a kind of nothingness; the ridiculousness of people and their plights serve to illuminate a crazy, cruel world."

Bryce Hallet, Sydney Morning Herald, June 15 2007

As well as being a superb piece of theatre, this edition of Exit the King provides the reader with an insight into the transition from original text to the stage. The text by Neil Armfield and Geoffrey Rush shows  where changes have been to the original text, production notes used in the 2007 Malthouse / Belvoir production,  directed by Neil Armfield and starring Geoffrey Rush. It also includes ad libs which became part of the performance.