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Alex Hassell as Henry V inspiring his men for Harry, England and St George Henry V
Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon
**** THIS month, 25 October, St Crispin’s Day,
sees the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt, when King Henry V
of England led his heavily outnumbered army, with its English and Welsh
longbowmen, to victory against the French. And at the RSC, this key battle of the 100 Years
War is celebrated and remembered with a powerful production of
Shakespeare’s celebrated history play. Gregory Doran directs the passionate and
imaginative account of the fighting monarch, and cleverly highlight’s
Shakespeare’s moral views which are still relevant in today’s age of
political difference. Doran highlights a patriotism for England that
translates from 600 years ago to inject patriotic pride into the heart
of a modern audience. The production is thick with emotion and rich
with historical research to help audiences of today relate to our shared
history. The Chorus, played by the charming Oliver Ford
Davies opens the production on a seemingly bare stage, in which we even
see the lighting rig upstage in the sparse introduction. Davies is seen
at intervals, reminding the audience of events gone by and closes the
show with a happy account of the history aft The set, designed by Stephen Brimson Lewis and
lighting by Tim Mitchell is a beautiful backdrop to the majestic
production. It surprises us when we eventually see the holographic
images change scene by scene projected onto a draping curtain upstage.
With their opulent style and striking colours, our imagination soars as
it creates beautiful imagery against the fervent action. There is also a striking contrast between the
French court and the English army. The King of France played by Simon
Thorp, along with his court including Robert Gilbert’s Dauphin are
always seen in beautiful rich armour of royal blue and silver,
highlighting Doran’s classical concept of the play.
Alex Hassell is the perfect Henry V. In Hassell’s
performance we see a journey of personal development, making the
transition from Prince Hal to the King who leads England in battle. Hassell is strongest in the second half of the
production and his performance of the St Crispin’s Day speech brings
tears to the eyes. Through Hassell, we see a fascinating transition from
boy to man and within his tender and exposed emotions, we see a mighty
love for fighting ‘for the cause and the love for one’s country. Amongst the brevity and power of this production,
it is fuelled with a humour that brings out a wonderful sense of
comradery and shows that this is very much a company production. The
trio of Pistol, Bardolph and Nym, played by Anthony Byrne, Joshua
Richards and Chris Middleton amuse us with their witty deeds and funny
characteristics. Doran makes sure to highlight the fun and
happiness that are woven into a tale of might and heavy emotion. The
humorous final scene with Henry and Katherine, played by Jennifer Kirby,
trying to understand each other with broken French and English lifts the
audience’s spirits and shows the personality behind the roaring King. This production is as current now as what it was
in 1599 when Shakespeare wrote the piece. Doran cleverly highlights a
patriotism within the production, as well as mremining true to
Shakespeare’s historical text with the classical production. Its
emotional depth is riveting, leaving the audience bursting with pride
and with a sense of togetherness and belonging as they left the
auditorium. To St Crispin’s Day, 25 October. Elizabeth Halpin
07-10-15 Henry V transfers to
the Barbican
in London from 7 November to 30 December 2015
Book The production will also be broadcast live to a large number of cinemas on Wednesday, 21 October – to find your nearest participating cinema click here
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the battle with a natural flair of storytelling.