Audiences who marvelled at the Maly Theatre’s Uncle Vanya during its 2005 UK tour will be astonished to discover Sergey Kuryshev and Pyotr Semak, Vanya and Astrov respectively, transformed virtually beyond recognition in King Lear, the Maly’s most recent production. Lear, here briefly previewed by Maria Shevtsova, will be performed at the Barbican Centre in London from 10 to 14 October 2006, and plans are under way for it to travel elsewhere in the country. The Maly Drama Theatre – Theatre of Europe (its full title since 1998) has developed a unique approach in both rehearsing and performing its productions. These include such works as Brothers and Sisters (1985), devised from the novel by Fyodor Abramov, and Dostoevsky’s The Devils (1991). Maria Shevtsova, Co-Editor of New Theatre Quarterly, is Professor of Drama and Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths College, University of London. This article sustains her work on the Maly begun in Dodin and the Maly Drama Theatre: Process to Performance (Routledge, 2004).