Star rating – 8/10
Cards on the table
– I love this play. It reminds me of when my eldest son was 5 and enjoyed
nothing more than dressing up like a knight and watching alternate versions of
it. Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Oliver
were certainly staples in our house for a while about 20 years ago. Happy
memories....
But apart
from my maternal nostalgia, it is a cracking play, and the Globe Theatre have certainly
got a great production of it touring the country before taking it to their home
this summer. Jamie Parker is suitably regal and
commanding as the warrior king. He should be used to playing him now, as
he was the same Prince Hal in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 at The Globe in summer
2010. But his former life of debauchery has most definitely been left behind,
as he inspires his ‘happy few’ soldiers to a heroic victory against the mighty
French armies on the fields at Agincourt.
It must be
difficult to follow in such large footsteps, but Parker largely gets the tone
just right. Not copying the previous deliveries of the more famous speeches,
but stamping his own brand on them. The battle scenes are well played – always tricky
in such a small space – damn that writer!
The whole
cast is excellent, but special mentions should go to Brendan
O’Hea as the amusing and
verbose Welshman Fluellen, and to Brid Brennan as the narrator who persuasively
and gently guides the audience through the fast paced action. Great
entertainment, comedy and drama all rolled into one package.
No comments:
Post a Comment