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The RSC's Henry V - A Review IIIn addition to the major strands running through the production outlined on the previous page, there were also some very deft, clever, often amusing touches which added to the enjoyment of the performance. For instance, the "tun of treasure" sent to Henry by the Dauphin consisted, so it seemed, of two tennis balls in a wooden casket, but as they were shown hundreds of balls cascaded down from the upper levels of the set to bounce all over the stage and down into the audience. Totally unrealistic, of course, but it certainly added to the sense of outrage at the insult offered by the French prince. And when we first moved to the court of France, three musicians entered, dressed in the inevitable black berets with the French waiter's long white aprons, and began to play La Vie en Rose until ordered off by an impatient Dauphin. The same tune was sung by the daughter of the French king, Katherine, as she sat in her shift at the beginning of the scene in which her maid attempts to teach her some English. In the same scene, when she puts on her very impressive gown ("de coun"), it was flown in and she simply walked into it - to admiring wolf-whistles from the male cast who were sat around the stage, just out of the light. In fact, most of the cast was on stage most of the time, for this was very much an ensemble production. And that is somewhat unexpected, for normally Henry V is very much a star vehicle. But the ensemble nature is signalled from the start by the replacement of the Chorus by a real chorus, the soldiers, who consist of every member of the cast at some stage or other. Director Hall's idea here was that this was a bunch of soldiers a generation later, who are looking back to a "golden age" when English might was invincible. However, it has to be said that, had I not been told this in advance, I would never have known - and others who have seen the production without this knowledge felt the same way. And, of course, we must not forget the music. There were two songs by Billy Bragg, one I have already mentioned, the "Eng-er-land" song, and the second, a much quieter number, had the refrain, "I long to go to battle for the King", sung as the soldiers move off after the victory at Harfleur. Then there was La Vie en Rose and, most effectively, after Agincourt both Non Nobis and Te Deum were sung. So many changes, such an unusual approach: did it work? To an extent, yes. Sad to relate, however, for me the big weakness was Henry himself. This was not the confident, charismatic king that Shakespeare portrays, and no amount of re-interpretation can obviate the necessity for Henry to inspire his men and the audience. This William Houston singularly failed to do. He reminded me of nothing so much as Ian McKellen in his younger days as Richard II, Edward II and Hamlet. Whilst self-doubt and lack of confidence are an acceptable interpretation in the "upon the King" soliloquy and, coupled with hesitation, right in the scene in which he woos Katherine, they are wrong elsewhere. It is hard, in fact, to believe that this king was ever Prince Hal! Sometimes underplaying the great Shakespearean speeches can be extremely effective: when an actor moves into "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" or "To be or not to be" without our realising it, it is the meaning which comes across to us, not the feeling that now we are listening to a great speech, but the Crispin's Day speech before Agincourt surely has to inspire. Mixed reactions, then: an interesting and, in many ways, enjoyable production, but flawed. Still, it must surely be part of the job of a company like the RSC to make us think, to re-evaluate and re-interpret, and this production certainly does that. Articles Indices:
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