SOME people’s lives are dominated by a strong woman, so spare a thought for Lazarus Theatre Company which is currently juggling two.

The company is performing Shakespeare’s Lear at Greenwich Theatre with a twist - the king has become Queen Lear.

And on alternate nights the same cast of 16 is tackling Christopher Marlowe’s Dido, Queen of Carthage.

Director Ricky Dukes said: “We are quite attracted to a challenge.

“We wanted to step up a bit more and thought what is the next step – two plays, one company, three weeks’ rehearsal, go.

“We are definitely going for it.”

He added: “It is incredibly difficult but we like a challenge.

“The first thing is getting your head inside the play. We might spend a morning on Lear and an afternoon on Dido.

“It has been intense but that’s how I think rehearsal rooms should be.”

Lazarus’ strength, Ricky said, is taking a classic and reinventing it. It is that which led to this radical reimagining of Lear.

He said: “We basically did a reading about two and a half years ago. We like to take a classic and look at it with a slightly different viewpoint – for example what if Lear was a woman – and it throws up so many more possibilities within the play.”

Having chosen a play familiar to audiences, albeit a different interpretation, Ricky said he wanted a play that connected thematically.

He said: “Dido Queen of Carthage seemed to fit the bill really. We have these two female monarchs so it became this became female-heavy season.”

Marlowe’s local link was also something Ricky, who lives in Greenwich himself, was interested in.

He said: “Marlowe I think is just as good as Shakespeare but didn’t have the publicity and success at the time.

“The thing that gets me really excited is that Marlowe was a local Greenwich boy. He lived and worked in Deptford and was actually murdered in a Deptford pub. His remains are in St Nicholas’ church just by the river.

“All his works really are rooted in south east London.

“It struck me that Shakespeare has this whole town – Stratford-upon-Avon – as his shrine basically whereas there’s nothing for Marlowe and it is about time there is.

“It feels good putting his work essentially back in his local theatre.”

Lear and Dido, Queen of Carthage are running at Greenwich Theatre from May 14 until June 1. Tickets cost £15, or £10 for concessions, and are available at greenwichtheatre.org.uk or by calling 020 8858 7755.