I have
always been slightly cautious about writing about “the big guns”. Many reasons
for this, not the least the fact that I am not, in this particular case,
exactly an expert on Shakespeare. Whatever else I have learned (I grew up in
French institutions so it was largely French literature) I had to work my way
over to The Immortal Bard myself. I must say, I did not do a god job. Until I
watched these two plays I had a healthy appreciation of Shakespeare. I could
even say (heck, I SHOULD say) I respected him. But this time… This was
different.
I don’t
quite know what changed. Beginning to train as an actor has undoubtedly changed
my perspective on such things. It has made me undoubtedly more sensitive to any
performance I approach. Having seen it at a mature age would have contributed
(the first of the two previous actual theatre performances of Shakespeare I
have seen was age 14). Seeing it performed in its original blank verse would
also have added (the second, age twenty-something, was in Turkish. An admirable
performance –but not blank verse). Seeing it performed by the Royal Shakespeare
Company was undoubtedly one of the deciding factors – it is after all their
area of expertise – and even though I have seen the RSC perform other plays
before (Death of a Salesman was one that still sticks in my mind) I had never
see them “do” Shakespeare. And, of course, Shakespeare has many different kinds
of plays, you may not particularly adore the comedies for example but might
fall head over heels for the historical plays like me. It was probably a
combination of a lot of factors. But this performance just hit me like a
freight train. I’m hooked. Kudos to the RSC, you have probably gained a disciple
for life!
This is how
I want you to approach the review. I am not some hoity-toity expert who is
going to correct your pronunciation or disapprove of your lack of love for
quinoa. I am just a very average person
who has just started on the path to actor training and who thought it was high
time she figured out “what the whole deal was” about Shakespeare. I expected to
learn something from the performance I went to. I never expected to adore it
the way I did. The aim of this review is to explain how and why this happened –
and maybe encourage you uninitiated to take a second look at The Bard. I kid
you not, you might actually be surprised.
So, ok,
down to business. What the heck am I actually talking about? Well, Henry the IV
is basically made up of two plays. Imaginatively named part 1 and part 2, the play
is based on the reign of King Henry IV. It is part of a tetralogy – a series of
four plays in this particular case Richard II, Henry IV
parts 1 and 2 and Henry V – and serves not only as a history of the actual
events of this period but is also a sometimes heart-stopping tale of some of the
larger than life characters and their very human lives. It is, in effect, a precursor
to television series like Game of Thrones. Only differences are there is a lot
less sex and nudity and it is a lot easier to pick up in the middle. That’s a
good point actually – I hadn’t seen Richard II but was able to follow the story
with a lot of ease, so don’t let not knowing what came before put you off going.
Anyway, so at the beginning of Henry IV we have King Henry IV on the throne. He
has just overthrown his cousin Richard II and taken over the throne so feelings
of guilt combine with accusations from around him to create an uneasy atmosphere.
Henry would like more than anything to set out to the Holy Lands to in part
redeem himself. But rebellions on various fronts within the country keep him in
England and will culminate with the battle of Shrewsbury (a real life battle
that took place in 1403). On the other hand we have Henry Jr (let’s call him
Hal for the purposes of differentiation, the play is absolutely lousy with
Henrys) who is the eldest of the princes and the heir to the throne. Hal is, by
and large, slumming it. He spends time with drunkards and thieves (in particularly
a dastardly old knight by the name of Falstaff) and shows absolutely no promise
at all of becoming the kind of person a monarch should be. The play follows
these two strands, the historical battles and the rebellion led by the
hotheaded Henry Hotspur (I did warn you), Hal’s personal journey becoming a
monarch (and preparing him for his title part in the last part of the
tetralogy, Henry V) and the comic relief, a band of dastardly villains (and
Hal’s entourage) led by Falstaff. For those history buffs among you, we start
with the events leading to the battle of Shrewsbury and end with Hal’s
coronation as king Henry V.
Now, I have
likened these historical plays to Game of Thrones earlier in the review –
here’s where it begins to differ. As you may or may not know (funnily enough I
did) Elizabethan theatre does not use décor and uses very little in the way of props.
This production of the RSC has opted for a striking and minimal décor with
light effects to give the allusion of different spaces and atmosphere. Thus
there is nothing for the actors to hide behind – the entire emotion of the play
has to come from their performance… And oh what a performance it is. Anthony
Sher is absolutely wonderful as Falstaff – the main comic character
counterbalancing the war and sadness in the other strands of the play and practically
got a laugh a minute from the audience. Alex Hassel was engaging and fun to
watch as Hal . So much so I nearly (not quite but nearly) impulse bought the
last remaining rather highly priced stalls ticket for the last standalone performance
the next day. Had it not been just after Christmas and the end of the month, I
would almost certainly have bought it, and this purely because I was so
attached to the character I was desperate to find out what happens to him next,
and could not imagine ANY other actor portraying him. (I ultimately went for a
more moderately priced version of Henry V, the 1989 film starring Kenneth
Branagh. He was great too of course but that’s another discussion and he wasn’t
Alex Hassel ehm ). Another favourite of mine was Matthew Needham whose Hotspur
is as hot-headed as his name with almost manic energy that of course in the
course of the story goes completely misdirected and ends up ruining him. I
heard older members of the audience muttering about him being OTT but I
honestly do not think that was the case. I think it sets off Hotspurs almost manic
pursuit of a “job” against the attitude of Hal who is a shoo-in for but does
not really care about the job. This in turn is the reason the old king Henry IV
is worried – being a heir apparent is well and good but as King Henry knows
only too well thrones can be easily lost, even when one is virtually sitting on
them.
And this,
of course is one of the reasons Shakespeare’s plays have such timeless appeal.
The way the themes – even though the circumstances change – echo down the ages.
That and, in this particular case, the fact that multiple genres – an almost
vaudeville type comedy, a war epic and a tragedy are so skilfully mixed. It’s just wonderful storytelling. It’s what
we love in films when they come off right – blending genre conventions,
creating larger than life characters (and yes the characters were actually real
but the skill of the writer and actor combined is in making them look real in a
performance) and above all telling a compelling story. Sound familiar? I bet we
could apply that one to every single one of your favourite films. Well folks,
this is where it began. This is why you need to learn more about Shakespeare.
And this is why I am watching Shakespeare screen adaptations at a practically
obsessive rate.
So put
aside your preconceptions. If you think you’ll struggle with the blank verse do
what I did and read up on the topic first (and by that I mean I checked the
synopsis on my phone on the way to the theatre). Just pick a decent performance
and see what the fuss is about. Believe you me; I first got the tickets purely
because my Middle Eastern side can’t resist a decent bargain on Timeout Offers.
I ended up having my life changed for ever…
Curious ? Then head on over to www.kingandcountry.org.uk to find out more! There isn't much in the way of indiviual performances left I am afraid but you can actually see the whole tetralogy over a few days and get "the whole deal!
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