REVIEW: Henry IV Part 1, Shakespeare’s Globe ✭✭✭✭
Mark Ludmon reviews Henry IV Part 1 or Hotspur, the first part of a Shakespearean trilogy at the Globe.
Mark Ludmon reviews Henry IV Part 1 or Hotspur, the first part of a Shakespearean trilogy at the Globe.
Shakespeare’s Globe has announced a year-long cycle of history plays next year alongside casting for its winter season and the appointment of Sean Holmes, outgoing artistic director of the Lyric Hammersmith.
The first season at Shakespeare’s Globe under new artistic director Michelle Terry has been announced, ranging from some of the Bard’s greatest hits to premieres of new plays.
Leading stage actor Michelle Terry has been announced as the new artistic director for Shakespeare’s Globe from next April. The Olivier Award winner has appeared to great acclaim in numerous Shakespeare productions at the Globe and the National Theatre and most recently starred as the eponymous king in Henry V at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. She will take over from Emma Rice who last October announced her resignation only six months after arriving in the role. Michelle will become artistic director designate in October and then take over fully in April next year. Michelle said: “The work of Shakespeare is for me timeless, mythic, mysterious, vital, profoundly human and unapologetically theatrical. There are no other theatres more perfectly suited to house these plays than the pure and uniquely democratic spaces of The Globe and the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. “I am so proud and excited that I will be in the privileged position where … Read more
Producers at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre have announced today that Michelle Terry will play the title role of Henry V directed by Robert Hastie and that Declan Bennett will take on the title role in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar to be directed by Artistic Director Timothy Sheader. Henry V will be presented from 17 June – 9 July 2016. Olivier Award-winning actress Michelle Terry plays the title role in Henry V. With a wealth of Shakespearean roles to her credit, Terry takes on the role of King Henry in this new production as part of Shakespeare400. Terry is most noted for her numerous roles at The Globe, RSC and the National Theatre (currently appearing in Cleansed), as well as Privacy (Donmar Warehouse) and Before the Party (Almeida). In 2011 she was awarded ‘Best Actress in a Supporting Role’ at the Olivier Awards for her … Read more
Blanche McIntyre, whose revival of As You Like It now at the Globe, uses every trick in the book to make Shakespeare’s play clear (it is, very), risqué (it is, very), engaging (it is, almost always) and funny (it is, often). There is music, dancing, cross-dressing, the carcass of a deer, lusty jostling, a tap-dancing clown, and a cross-dressing God of Marriage. There is much for the groundlings to delight in, as well as a few “oohs” and “awws”.
Christopher Luscombe’s very funny version of the Beatrice/Benedick show complete with magnificent, period set (Simon Highlett), some fabulous costumes, Nigel Hess’ delightful music and Jenny Arnold’s joyful movement. Setting the play in the post-World War 1 period works nicely; the sense of changing times is entirely appropriate. It’s a gentle but frisky time and you can almost hear the approach of the flappers.
The production is blessed with good acting, impeccable timing and a sense of style, mischief and swagger which accentuates its high points. Pretty much everyone is trying to best everyone else with an armoury of quips, quibbles and quizzical asides and, happily, Luscombe seeks to make the most of this.