Henry V

Synopsis

Shakespeare’s masterpiece of the turbulence of war and the arts of peace tells the romantic story of Henry’s campaign to recapture the English possessions in France. But the ambitions of this charismatic king are challenged by a host of vivid characters caught up in the real horrors of war.
 
Henry V, which opened the new Globe with the words ‘O for a muse of fire’, celebrates the power of language to summon into life courts, pubs, ships and battlefields within the ‘wooden O’ - and beyond.
 
Much loved for his performance as Prince Hal in Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 (2010), Jamie Parker returns to Hal’s journey as Henry V. Other credits included The History Boys at the National Theatre, on Broadway and on film.

Our Review:

Maxwell Cooter - 14 June 2012

My idle thought as I arrived at the Globe was that the opening of Henry V should really have been a few days ago, putting us in the mood for some anti-French feeling before the England team's much-anticipated clash with the Les Bleus.

But it’s not clear how much nationalistic gloating there would have been because there is little sign of Henry as blood-thirsty warmonger in Dominic Dromgoole's fine production. Instead, Jamie Parker's thoughtful Henry is a picture of a man waging war almost reluctantly.

It’s a portrayal that has a lot to commend it. The 'band of brothers' speech is delivered as if Henry is thinking aloud, but during its course the army slowly files onstage in rapt attention. It’s a compelling moment, received in total silence by the audience.

The involvement of the audience isn’t an accident. The cast engage with them throughout the play, Henry scanning the groundlings for likely-lookin...

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Latest User Review

Lise - 26 August 2012:

It seems the production went down since its opening. I have just reread the reviews and feel like I saw a different production this afternoon. The audience was clearly uninvolved, in fact there were few moments when the actors appeared to have captured its full attention. The comic scenes were excellent, but Jamie Parker was regularly galloping trhough his lines and overall being a highly uncharismatic Harry. Brid Brennan was a superb chorus....

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