‘Caesar’ or ‘Richard III’ Will Reign in Place of ‘King Lear’

Shakespeare Orange County has abandoned plans to stage “King Lear” next year, avoiding a possible scheduling conflict with GroveShakespeare.

Thomas Bradac, the founder of SOC and former director of GroveShakespeare, said either “Julius Caesar” or “Richard III” will replace “King Lear” in the fledgling troupe’s two-play summer season at Chapman University’s Waltmar Theatre. GroveShakespeare plans to stage “King Lear” during its summer program at its Garden Grove amphitheater.

Bradac, who was ousted as artistic director of GroveShakespeare last year, said the “King Lear” decision was to prevent the companies from splitting ticket sales.

“It made sense not to press the issue since we share an audience,” he said. “It could be interesting to see two ‘Lears,’ but that’s taking a chance with the economics. Discretion is the better part of valor, and asking people to see both of them might not be a good idea.”