Henrys, Richards and Roses May 19, 2008
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Reviews , trackbackWhy oh why didn’t I book to go to all eight of Shakespeare’s Histories? The four I saw (Richard II, and Henry VI parts 1, 2, 3) were sublime, and two in a row on Saturday was an intense pleasure. I don’t think I’ve ever been so absorbed in theatre in my life.
Actors give fine performances, but as they’ve been working together on these plays for thirty months, none really stands out from the excellence of the entire ensemble. Clive Wood as Henry Bolingbroke in Richard II and the Duke of York in Henry VI and the Chuk Iwuji as the weak and unworldly Henry VI are wonderful, but even lowly soldiers seem to be completely in their roles throughout.
The RSC has built a theatre within a theatre, duplicating the thrust stage of the Courtyard in Stratford on Avon. It’s not quite in the round, but comes out in the middle of the audience.
Battles rage throughout 3 Henry VI as England descends into chaos and in the front row we cower at swords clashing inches away. Actors climb ropes and are hauled up on wires. Entrances are through the stalls, and from the balcony. The entire theatre is the stage.
I’m booked for Hamlet and Love’s Labours Lost in the autumn, and I just can’t wait.
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