‘Exit The King’ by Eugene Ionesco is a meditation on life and death, and how power is just a social construct, or a man-made illusion, perhaps even a delusion. The king is inept and his authority is dependent exclusively on the title and designation he was born into.

King Bérenger I learns that his kingdom is collapsing and that he has only a short time left to live. While Queen Marguerite urges him to accept his approaching death, Queen Marie desperately encourages him to cling to life. As his power and authority gradually disappear, the king struggles with fear, denial and the inevitability of mortality. Through a blend of absurdity, humour and tragedy, the play explores the human struggle to accept death and let go of power.