Henry V ★★★★★
Being back
in the theatre after a Covid-enforced absence of six months felt like Dolly
Levi returning to the Harmonia Garden. So to be in St. Albans’ Open Air Theatre
on a sunny Sunday afternoon for one of the last performances of the summer
season was very special. And Matthew Parker’s new production of Henry V didn’t
disappoint and was, simply put, breathtakingly brilliant! Parker not only
directs with his normal vigour, forensic attention to detail and inventiveness
but, in addition, has also ingeniously adapted Shakespeare for planet Covid and
provided choreography that would guarantee a spot on Strictly!
Ingeniously
reimagined as an outdoor summer production, a group of enthusiastic drama
students and their teachers come together to bring this rousing, poignant and often
funny play to life with ingenuity, enthusiasm and wit – and all cleverly woven
around safe social distancing requirements!
For those
requiring a synopsis of Henry V, I shamelessly quote the blurb. ‘Henry IV is
dead and the young Prince Hal is King. With England in a state of unrest, he
must leave his rebellious youth behind and prove himself a worthy ruler. The
young king becomes feted warrior as a tiny kingdom rouses its spirits to stake
a claim on the towering throne of France.’
From
restrained beginning to rip-roaring finale, this 90-minute tour de force
production was an ensemble on top form - LUKE ADAMSON, MARA ALLEN, EDWARD ELGOOD, RACHEL FENWICK, PAULA GILMOUR, CASSANDRA HODGES, JAMES KENINGALE, FELIPE PACHECO, JACK REITMAN, MELISSA SHIRLEY-ROSE - with performances bursting with energy,
originality and laugh-out-loud moments galore – pure infectious joy! I know
that if it had been around when we were studying the play, A-stars would have
been the order of the day!
It is unfair
to highlight any one performance as they were all tremendous – but I will! Luke
Adamson’s joyously camp and wondrously versatile performance; Cassandra Hodges
brought Covid awareness to a whole new dimension, Paula Gilmour made me
thankful for my French A-level and Mara Allen’s Henry was relentlessly
absorbing throughout, especially her rallying cry from the ramparts of this
superb historic setting. A special mention must go to Felipe Pacheco whose
performance was mesmerising the whole time with great physicality, energy and a
well-deserved credit for additional finale choreography to boot. I never knew
flossing was such an art form!
Matthew
Parker’s production of Henry V was a welcome, albeit unexpected, return to live
theatre. And once again Parker has put together an ensemble that worked
seamlessly and with a contagious enjoyment that reminded us of what we are
missing without live theatre in our lives. Regrettably, my review appears after
the show has closed but the biggest bravo goes to this entire, superb company. And I would venture to suggest there is
undoubtedly a place for this production for many years to come - maybe St
Albans for a well-deserved summer reprise in 2021!
Cast and creatives
LUKE
ADAMSON (Paul) Ely, Dauphin, Fluellen
MARA ALLEN (Agatha) Henry
EDWARD ELGOOD (Mr Spencer) Orleans, Gower, Erpingham, Burgundy
RACHEL FENWICK (Ffion) Boy, Cambridge,
Katherine, Governor of Harfleur, Court
PAULA GILMOUR (Josie) Canterbury, Bardolph, Alice, Rambures
CASSANDRA HODGES (Ms Nightingale) Chorus, Westmorland, Williams
JAMES KENINGALE (Dante) Pistol, Gray,
Constable of France, English Herald
FELIPE PACHECO (Ralph) Exeter, Nym,
Bates
JACK REITMAN (Zach) Gloucester, French
King
MELISSA SHIRLEY-ROSE (Lily) Montjoy, Hostess, Scroop, Queen Isabel
MATTHEW
PARKER Director, Adaptor and
Choreographer
OLIVER MCFADDEN Assistant Director
SIMON NICHOLAS Set
LIZZIE THOMSON Costume
ADAM BOTTOMLEY Lighting
MICHAEL BIRD Sound
FELIPE PACHECO Additional Finale
Choreography
BECKY BROWN Production and Stage Manager
Photography LHPhotoshots
Comments
Post a Comment