3 – 6 July
Those who had come to see Sir Ian McKellen will clearly be disappointed. Those who had come to see a well realised modern dress production of Shakespeare will have no cause to grumble and much to admire. The idea of ‘Shakespeare Our Contemporary’ is well served in this dove tailed adaption of Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 by Robert Icke. An England in the grip of a crime wave, with various factions attempting to muscle their way into some sort of hegemony, needs little in the way of an imaginative leap in order to hold a mirror to contemporary nature. And Prince Hal’s revelation early on that he is merely dissembling as a low-life rogue, the better to amaze at his transformation into the Henry V of eternal fame, gives us the title of the play. The deal is set when we consider Falstaff as a placeholder for the gallery of modern day, self-serving buffoons with a taste for political power and influence.
It’s not difficult to see Shakespeare having fun with the character of Sir John: the dissembling, the bare-faced lying and venality of the man is a perennial stereotype that has been serving dramatists since Aristophanes. I’m delighted to inform you that Sir Ian’s replacement for the remainder of the run, David Semark, gives the character an airing rich in humour and subtlety. If the absence of Sir Ian is a swing, the inclusion of David Semark is unquestionably a roundabout. His chummy relationship with Hal (Toheeb Jimoh) sets the seeds of his own come-uppance since his attempts to inveigle Harry into the picaresque lifestyle merely gives the future king all the reasons he needs for cutting ties when the mantle of responsibility falls on his shoulders.
This latter point, the importance of the character of the leader, is something this production leaves us in no doubt about. Mr Jimoh shows us a Hal, at times sensitive, at others petulant as for example on the field of battle, yet always with an eye to his destiny. Again the alpha male that is Hotspur (Samuel Edward-Cook) in a modern setting reminds us of a criminal syndicate leader, albeit with a sense of moral outrage over past slights to his standing.
Sir Ian has attracted a talented cast around him and I pick out just a few. The bawdy and no-nonsense Mistress Quickly (Clare Perkins) and the detailed character studies of Bardolph and Justice Shallow (Geoffrey Freshwater and Robin Soans). I’ve lost track of the number of brick wall sets that have become ubiquitous over the last few years, however this one by Hildegard Bechtler is made to work with the clever use of curtains which are creatively, indeed on one occasion wittily, used throughout. The play sports the cleverest use of a telephone one is likely to find in Shakespeare, or anywhere else for that matter.
★★★★☆ Graham Wyles, 4 July 2024
