HENRY V – REVIEW OF 2019 SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

Shakespeare’s Henry V can be interpreted in many ways, but most people would agree that it is a patriotic play about a warrior king and it contains some very funny comic scenes. I can only describe the current production at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre as a patriotic, indeed jingoistic comedy that is directed at the yardlings in the audience and in fact makes them a part of the performance.

For those who have not been to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, the yardlings are several hundred people who stand in front of the stage and they can become part of the performance when the actors address them directly and they react with great enthusiasm. 

Sarah Amankwah as Henry V. Photot © Tristam Kenton

It can be entertaining and bring howls of laughter during comic scenes. But in this production directors Sarah Bedi and Federay Holmes have geared much of the performance towards the involvement of the audience. Characters can interact with other characters, but they may not ignore inciting the audience directly for very long.

A look, a doubletake, a gesture, a grimace and many other gags are used throughout the performance to establish direct contact with the audience and frequently get a huge laugh or an enthusiastic reaction. The text becomes almost secondary to getting a laugh from the audience.

That is only one part of the tricks that the directors use. When Corporal Nym (Helen Schlesinger), one of Falstaff’s old cronies, speaks in his opening scene he adds the word “hashtag” numerous times and the yardlings find it just hilarious. He stops it when it starts to lose steam. The King of France adds “Ou la la” to one of his lines and brings the house down. Pistol (Colin Hurley) throws a leek to a member of the audience who bites into it. Riotous reaction. The trick hit bottom for me when Hostess Quickly’s (Jonathan Broadbent) description of the death of Falstaff was turned into a dirty joke.      

The fashion of transgender and transracial casting has become so entrenched that it would take a brave director to ignore it. Bedi and Federay are not taking any chances. Some male roles and vice versa being played by an actor of the opposite sex may be praiseworthy casting provided there is a reason for the choice rather than following the fashion. King Henry is played by Sarah Amankwah, a woman with a sinewy body and a full-throttled voice, who gives us an interesting warrior and national hero. Henry wants to be heroic, noble and generous and yet orders his soldiers to kill all their prisoners. He is a man who is very particular about his legal right to invade France while at the same time being conscious that he is king by virtue of usurpation and murder of the rightful king.

What is the point of Nina Bowers playing the roles of four men? What do we gain by Jonathan Broadbent playing the Earl of Westmoreland and Hostess Quickly? Most of the actors are given multiple roles. Sophie Russell for example plays five characters but they are all men, French and English. Helen Schlesinger plays four roles, three men and one woman. Some of the role changes were done in front of the audience with the simple change of a coat. Ten actors handle all the roles but to what end? 

Colin Hurley and Steffan Donnelly in Henry V. Photo: Tristram Kenton

In one instance, the result is moving Henry V from a history play to a farce. Colin Hurley plays five roles including that of Katherine, the French princess. She appears in two scenes. In one she is taught a few words of English and it is indeed a funny scene. The other is the courtship/love scene between Henry and her. We can imagine Katherine as the pretty princess being wooed by the handsome conqueror. But Hurley is a middle-aged, balding and hefty actor and there is no attempt to hide the fact. He is obviously a man in drag and both scenes look farcical and ridiculous.  

There is a strong patriotic element to the play and the production plays it up to the hilt with the yardlings lapping it up. It is expressed in strong anti-French fervor and I thought that any minute they would yell “get those garlic eaters, Henry” or some other noble sentiment like that. When Henry finishes his exhortation to the troops by telling them to fight for Harry, England and St. George there was an immediate and palpable expression of patriotic fervor from the yardlings and I thought all of them would enlist on the spot if asked to.

The production was gimmicky, full of gags and played to the lowest common denominator and relied on getting laughs at all costs. Is this Shakespeare for the tourists who are not theatre goers? Are they trying to attract audiences by dummying up Shakespeare? I don’t know and I don’t like it.

Shakespeare and the audience deserve a lot better.

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Henry V by William Shakespeare continues in repertory until October 11, 2019 at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 21 New Globe Walk, London. www.shakespearesglobe.comThe Norman Conquests (2013)
Photos by Cylla von Tiedemann

James Karas is the Senior Editor- Culture of The Greek Press. greekpress.ca