Henry V

Synopsis

Shakespeare's patriotic history play about the warrior-king. Henry V leads the English to victory at Agincourt and afterwards is taught the words of love by the French Princess, Katherine. A vivid depiction of the horrors of war and a romantic, fast-moving story.

Our Review:

3 August 2012

After a slew of recent productions, you might think that another Henry V would be overkill. But fear not, this is no staunchly traditional reading of the play, telling the story of a king at war with France -- and with his own feelings on the matter. It's a complete reshaping of the piece, which has been cut and melded around the story director Henry Filloux-Bennett wants to tell.

The story here, then, is one of war and misjudgement -- specifically Iraq, but with wider implications for the rest of the Arab world. To confuse matters further, there are two Henrys -- one explicitly modelled on Tony Blair, played superbly by Jack Morris, and one who goes to war (Mark Field).

It's a commentary on the fact that monarchs no longer go to war, but by being so explicit about the Blair connections and the fairly specific time frame of the piece, it does lead to confusion, as does the appropriation of the text to serve the story. Some speeches take on new meaning, while o...

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