It is my belief that there are two
kinds of Shakespeare audiences: those who want to see a new take on an old play
and those who spend the performance wishing they were in the Globe amongst the
rabble watching the play unfold for the first time. The RSC’s touring
production most certainly catered to the latter type with a true to form
production of Henry IV Parts One and
Two.
As one of the lesser studied
history plays, it is always a good idea to find out the plot beforehand; unless
you are fluent in Shakespearian, the language and plot are equally hard to
follow. Part 1 of Henry IV juxtaposes between two different lives, with the
young prince Hal (Alex Hassell) drinking his life away and enjoying his youth,
supported by his best friend Falstaff (Anthony Sher). Whilst his father Henry
IV (Jasper Britton) is preparing to defend his crown against the rising rebels
led by the aptly nicknamed Hotspur (Trevor White), and concludes with the death
of Hotspur at the hand Prince Hal who has grown into a man worthy of his title.
Part Two focuses on Falstaff, and takes a very sombre tone. Partly through
miscommunication and partly through deliberate deception, the plot concludes
with King Henry V disowning his former dissolute life and the heart-wrenching
banishment of Falstaff.
The overall staging was seamless
and very clever, using traditional Globe styling, combined with modern day
trappings gave Stephen Brimsom Lewis’ design a unique and versatile edge. The
modern-day technology enhanced the almost minimalist set in order to create the
world of Hal and Falstaff and the King in front of our very eyes. The decision
to change the original traverse production into a proscenium arch setting was
disappointing. Little moments such as the fight at the end of Part One would
have been much more engaging if the audience was included within the action,
made possible by the original use of staging and it is to be hoped that they
reincorporate the original setting when they move to the Barbican later this
month.
As expected, the acting from the
RSC was strong, coherent and to put it simply, classical. There was none of
this new Shakespearian acting, of the type where each line is spoken slowly
enough that the audience can understand at the expense of the iambic pentameter
and Shakespeare’s original linguistic devices.
Many in the audience came to
witness one particular actor at work, and probably would have bought a ticket
if it was Hamlet, Othello or just a puppet show, which truly says something
about the clientele at the Marlowe Theatre. However Anthony Sher’s performance
was fabled, fantastic and ultimately fallacious, bringing
Falstaff to life and although Sher undoubtedly had the longest amount of stage
time, he was in no way the star of the show. Throughout Part One, his accent
was unintelligible and whilst his characterisation of the drunkenly growling
Falstaff was spot on, there is a fine line between being brilliantly drunk and
being drunkenly incomprehensible. Within a performance relying on vocal
projection instead of microphones, Shers words were rather lost amongst the
grunting and slurring leaving the audience wishing he would tone it down, if
only just a tad.
The show’s real stars were
lesser loved actors and Jasper Britton as King Henry IV was outstanding. In
just one scene he managed to do what Sher had been attempting from the start.
He captured the audience’s attention, and their hearts, and did not let them
go. Considering that the plays are named after him, Henry IV has very few
moments on stage but the few he had were phenomenal. His dying speech was
delivered with so much passion and pain that the audience found themselves
shrouded in complete silence for the first time in the production. Britton
transformed in front of our eyes from the level-headed, strong-willed
politician and king to a helpless soul, worried for his son and desperate for
the confirmation of his love and his ability to be a great heir.
As for the young Prince? He goes
from vanity to valiance whilst his audience delight in his transformation from
petty thief and a frequent visitor to whore houses into a princely knight
commanding the battlefield and fighting for his future crown. From under the
prostitutes’ covers emerges Alex Hassell, capturing the audience from the word
go with his cheerful juvenility and sordid ways. Hassell has every woman in the
audience sighing whilst the male population grinned, wishing themselves on the
stage and into his role. Hassell took on the challenging and diverse role with
all the wit and skill required to bring Prince Hal to life in front of our very
eyes.
After their week-long run at The
Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, the RSC returns home to The Barbican with a
lengthy run from 29 November 2014 – 24 January
2015. Book tickets if you can and then sit in wonder as the world of
Shakespeare’s Henry IV unfolds around you.
