Henry IV

Synopsis

After he is knocked off his horse during a masquerade, a man loses his mind and remains locked in a castle for the next 20 years believing he is the medieval emperor Henry IV. A troupe of actors collude in this delusion daily, until one day he receives a visit from the woman he once loved and a psychiatrist determined to cure him. But who is sane and who is mad? And what is madness anyway?

Our Review:

5 May 2004

Tom Stoppard makes a fitting choice to tackle a new translation of Henry IV. Both the 1922 play and its Italian author, Luigi Pirandello, are infrequently performed in the UK, probably, as a programme note suggests, because of their cerebral nature. As the author himself of plays including Jumpers, Arcadia, The Invention of Love and The Coast of Utopia, Stoppard has faced down his own share of criticism for perceived over-intellectualisation.

But that’s forgetting that Stoppard is also a dab hand at comedy and at moulding works that amusingly marry the modern and ‘historic’ (as with Shakespeare in Love on screen). Here, he brings this light touch to bear on Pirandello’s play, in which an Italian nobleman inhabits the persona of the 11th-century German king of the title, forcing all around him to dress up and play a part in his make-believe.

In fact, you can’t help but suspect that the evening’s few “moments of lucidity” owe ...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.74.155.21) - 15 June 2004:

Wordily enjoyable look at the nature of role-playing. Some very good performances and a good script. BACKDRIFTER...

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