A Modern Theatre Review presented by www.stagebeauty.net

Henry IV - Parts 1 and 2

Drama by William Shakespeare

Produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company.

Directed by Gregory Doran.

Alhambra Theatre, Bradford

Part 1

Date of Performance: 28th October, 2014

Duration: 3 hours, 0 mins (one interval, 20mins)

Part 2

Date of Performance: 30th October, 2014.

Duration: 2 hours, 55 mins (one interval, 20mins)


Review by Don Gillan, www.stagebeauty.net

Synopsis


Programme

Historical drama in two parts charting the reign of usurper King Henry IV. Following the defeat of his cousin, Richard II, Henry Bolingbroke assumes his place on the throne. Before long, however, the new King's former allies turn against him and Henry finds himself forced to fight to retain his new found position. The King defeats a rebel army at Shrewsbury but the rebellion is far from over, whilst the King is further exasperated by the indolent lifestyle of his eldest son and heir, Prince Hal.

Show Detailed Synopsis (WARNING - SPOILER!!!)

WARNING SPOILER!!! - Click here for Short Synopsis (Teaser)

Part I

Henry Bolingbroke has deposed his cousin, the tyrant king Richard, and begun his reign as King Henry IV. Guilty feelings over Richard's removal, however, mean that the crown sits heavy on his head, whilst whispers of rebellion curtail his plans to go on crusade to the Holy Land in penance. The very nobles who helped him to the throne, notably the Earl of Northumberland (head of the powerful Percy family) for the English faction, Owain Glyndwr for the Welsh and the Earl of Douglas for the Scottish, are now turning their allegiance to Edmund Mortimer, Richard's nominated heir. Henry's dismissive treatment of the hot-headed scion of the Percy family, Henry 'Hotspur', only adds to the tension whilst the King's own son, another Henry but better known as 'Hal', seems to be of little help, leading a dissolute life among the inns and whorehouses of London's Eastcheap. Hal enjoys the company of a disreputable former knight, Sir John Falstaff, now a blustering old braggart with a never-ending supply of tall stories, and particularly revels in tricking and insulting him. Beneath the hedonism he allows himself to indulge in, however, Hal understands that more is expected of him and intends to change when the time demands it. The plotters hand is forced when several of their allies begin to back out, meaning they must act quickly before the King learns of their intentions. News then arrives at the royal court that the rebels are on the march, and Henry recalls Hal to his side. He explains how Hotspur valiant if tempestuous nature might make him a better future claimant to the throne than Hal, who resolves henceforth to mend his ways and to kill Hotspur in the coming battle. Henry and Hal then depart for Shrewsbury where the rebels are gathering. At Shreswbury, Hotspur learns that his father and Glyndwr have decided against joining in the battle but impulsively goes ahead without them. The battle rages, Hal saves his father from Douglas then finds Hotspur whom he kills in single combat. Falstaff, who, as a knight, was commanded to lead his followers into the battle, avoids harm by feigning death until the fighting is over. Then, miraculously revived, he stumbles across the body of Hotspur and stabs it in the thigh to claim the kill for his own. Hal, indulgently, allows the old man his disreputable tricks, content that the day is theirs. Of the rebel leaders, Hotspur is dead and Douglas taken prisoner. Henry orders the death of the Earl of Worcester, Hotspur's uncle who instigated the rebellion, whilst Hal shows he has learned Kingly mercy by releasing Douglas without ransom in recognition of his valour during the battle. The first battle is won but the war is not yet ended. The Archbishop of York has joined with Northumberland, Mortimer and Glyndwr leaving considerable forces still opposed to the King.

Part II

The conspirators against Henry IV have suffered a major setback in the defeat of the Earl of Douglas and Henry 'Hotspur' at the battle of Shrewsbury, at which the latter was killed by Hal, future King Henry V, but in spite of this defeat the rebellion is yet far from over. The Earl of Northumberland, Hotspur's father, pledges to fight on, now with the added incentive to avenge his son, and has gained a powerful new ally in the form of Richard Scroop, the Archbishop of York. The aging king Henry IV, meanwhile, is beginning to suffer the effects of the campaign and becoming increasingly unwell. Worse, his heir, Prince Hal, who mended his ways for the fight against Douglas and Hotspur, seems to have slipped back into the dissolute lifestyle he previously led in the company of Falstaff and his disreputable familiars in the Eastcheap taverns. Falstaff, meanwhile, who has been revelling in the enhanced reputation brought about by his involvement in the battle of Shrewsbury, is confronted by the Chief Justice with reports of his criminal behaviour and by mistress Quickly, proprietress of the tavern, seeking payment for the large debt he has run up there. Falstaff is further warned of the King's displeasure at his association with Hal and, to distance the pair, is despatched to accompany Prince John of Lancaster (the King's more sensible second son) on a mission to recruit more men for the King's army. Out of Falstaff's influence, Prince Hal again resolves to mend his ways and become a better Princeling. The rebel forces then gather at the Forest of Gaultree but for the second time the Earl of Northumberland fails to support them with his forces. Prince John, leads the King's army, bolstered by it's new recruits, to meet the rebels but, instead of a battle, makes peace by promising that the King will accede to all their demands. The rebels disband their armies but John reneges on the agreement and orders the rebel leaders arrested and executed for treason. The King, meanwhile, is growing increasingly ill, and is worried what will happen when the wayward Hal becomes king. Summoning Hal to the palace, the King berates him but subsequently forgives him when Hal, in an eloquent speech, vows to be a responsible King. The King dies and Prince Hal, now King Henry V, ascends to the throne. Falstaff and his companions come to London to greet him, but, dutiful to the promise he made to his father and in the middle of a public street, the new King rejects Falstaff, allowing him a pension but banishing him never to come within ten miles of the King or court ever again. The young King then meets with his advisers to lay plans for a war with France.

Impressions/Performances

Henry IV parts 1 and 2, the two middle plays in Shakespeare's quartet charting the deposition of the House of Plantagenet by the House of Lancaster, posed an unusual problem for England's favourite playwright. That problem was that England, in Shakepeare's time, was still a constitutional monarchy and to promote the life of a usurper King not only cast a shadow on any ordained King or Queen's divine right to rule but also set a dangerous precedent for anyone seeking that power for themselves. Henry's acheivements subsequent to donning the mantle shone like a beacon but were, none-the-less, played down by later monarchs who could simply never admit that what he did to begin his reign was right, let alone sanctioned by God. Queen Elizabeth I, England's monarch at Shakespeare's time of writing, even had historian John Heywood imprisoned on a charge of treason for painting too rosy a picture of Henry. It must, therefore, have been a very real concern, especially since Elizabeth was a lover of plays so that Shakespeare's effort could hardly have escaped her attention. Consequently Shakespeare avoided the problem by tackling it obliquely. In two plays lasting around two and a half hours each the character of the King himself actually appears on stage but little, and we see almost nothing of the personal side of the character other than the ailing and haunted figure he has become toward the end. Far more prominent in the proceedings is his son Hal, who, as Henry V, would be the subject of the next play in the quadrilogy and, as a hereditary ruler, a much safer topic.

But most prominent of all in these two plays is the character of Sir John Falstaff. So much so in fact that the two plays might easily (and perhaps more accurately) have been entitled "The Adventures of Falstaff". Further, Falstaff is portrayed as a braggart and a buffoon, further deflecting attention away from the actual personage of Henry and perhaps even reflecting upon him a little of the same light - which, of course, would have made him wholly more palatable to Elizabeth. Consequently, the middle parts of this epic dramatic quartet become semi-comic, with lots of funny moments, particularly in Falstaff's asides. Falstaff is, in fact, one of Shakespeare's most memorable characters and a tempting if challenging character role for any actor. More than that even, both plays stand or fall largely upon the part.

Which leads us nicely to by far the best thing about these RSC performances, to wit Anthony Sher's larger than life and utterly unforgettable performance as Falstaff, delivering his witty speeches with an unhurried deliberateness as though savoring every word before offering it to the listener. In a single showing, Sher becomes to Falstaff what Leo McKern was to Rumpole, what Basil Rathbone was to Holmes, or what Derek Jacobi was to Claudius, which is to say that he does not so much play the part as become it, defining the role and setting the benchmark for any who dare to follow. Sher give's us a Falstaff who is rapacious but not malicious, indolent but not slothful, faint-hearted but not cowardly, and bibulous but not a drunkard. These are all fine lines but Sher treads them with the same assurance that the legendary Charles Blondin trod his high-wire and fully rounds out the character of a former knight gone to seed, wherein an active brain and a strong sword arm have been replaced by a conniving wit and a glib tongue. The result is the very epitomy of the lovable rogue, living on the memory of past times. To fund this, Falstaff preys on others, but such is his amiable charm that they love him for it! Well, up to a point at least! It is an image that not only gives extra impact to his laugh-lines in the Eastcheap tavern scenes but adds credibility to his ruthless exploitiveness. It's so winning a performance as to command our pity when the reformed Hal, now made King Henry V, turns his back on him in the final scene, leaving Falstaff trying to convince himself more than those around him that the King will send for him later, in private.

But, whilst Sher's may be an impressive tour de force in character acting, his is not the only one. Jasper Britton's emotionally charged Henry IV may spend less time on stage but still stamps a strong presence on the play. His is a King wracked by torment from every quarter, torn by guilt over turning against his cousin, the appointed King, betrayed and beset by his former allies who have inexplicably turned against him, and exasperated by his hedonistic eldest son, who looks far from ready to take his place. He need not have worried, as Alex Hassell delivers a Hal that develops subtly across the two plays. Hal also begins as something of a twisted character, addicted to a hedonisic lifestyle that even he is appalled by. When events demand it, however, he is able to find the King within himself and become the man his father want's him to be. There is a very real sense of genuine affection between Hal and Falstaff, the old rogue having become a kind of dysfunctional father figure in the absence of any real show of affection from the King, which makes Hal's ultimate rejection of him, for the good of the kingdom, all the more poignant. Trevor White's Hotspur, meanwhile, is the very opposite, an impatient blonde firebrand who is quick to action and slow to heed the gainsay of others. Ultimately, he is as immature as Hal, though in a different way and one more difficult to change. Eventually the pair meet in battle, and it is Hal's new-found calmness and control that wins the day. Among a mostly male cast Nia Gwynne is a standout as a Welsh speaking (and singing) Lady Mortimer and later as Flastaff's strangely devoted doxy, Doll Tearsheet. The above named are surrounded by a crack company who bring equally urgent life to the courtly intrigues as to the battle sequences.

The character of Falstaff injects a far greater element of humour than is present in Shakespeare's other kingly histories and this production certainly brings that element to the fore, especially in the first part. But the moody setting and tense direction ensure that the humour never detracts from the menacing atmosphere of the Machiavellian court proceedings. A nice touch in this direction is the moment near the end when Hal open his heart to the King promising to become a better man and a worthwhile future King, whilst Prince John, the King's soul-less second son listens on hand on sword.

Verdict

Powerful, intense, enthralling, and at times unexpectedly funny. A superb production of the Shakespeare classic.

Don Gillan - www.stagebeauty.net


Future Tour Dates


Reproduce this article: This article is Copyright. You may, however, freely reproduce this article in whole or in part provided only that any parts thus reproduced are fairly represented as to their original intent and that the attribution of the author remains attached - ie. "Don Gillan - www.stagebeauty.net"


Reviews Index   Home