In most respects, it is better and more vibrant, more deftly detailed, than it was in Stratford Upon Avon. It’s an unrivalled spectacle of theatrical ingenuity. Go. Just go.
Perhaps it was just that Richard II promised so much, but this Henry IV Part One did not make one long for Part Two.
It is as near perfect a piece of dramatic theatre as one is ever likely to see. What Herrin and his team have achieved here is utterly, unquestionably remarkable. It is good old-fashioned entertaining theatre, built solidly with fine acting and a tremendous narrative. There are no “concepts” here – just a desire to tell a marvellous theatrical tale.
Rightly, the cast received a standing ovation at the RST – an unusual sight at Stratford Upon Avon. This is a startlingly clear and quite gorgeous production of a play which can seem convoluted and which, really, has no heroes.
