I came late to Shakespeare as we did not study his works at school. I have now seen lots of productions including some at his birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon, A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Globe in London, Macbeth at the Minack in Cornwall plus a few more. They can take a while to get into as the language is different to how we speak now, but they are something special.
I had not seen any of the history plays until this week. The fact that Sir Ian McKellen was starring was an attraction. As well as his many movie roles (including Gandalf and Magneto) we had dinner his share of The Bard. Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre combines both parts of Henry IV transported to a modern setting. McKellen plays Falstaff who is a friend of young Prince Harry. At 84 he may be older than the original character, but he is still a great performer.
King Henry does not actually play a huge role, but he has to deal with a rebellion in the north. I did not know the story, but it was not hard to follow.
The production is impressive. The stage seemed fairly bare with brick walls, but various sets are brought on very cleverly as the cast pull curtains across the stage. That includes a burning fireplace in some scenes. The battle is dramatic with lots of noise and debris across the stage.
There is a lot of humour in the play. Falstaff is a drunk and a liar who really drives the story. It is a bit of an endurance test at over 3 hours, but it does not drag. This was a matinee performance so they would have to do it all again in the evening.
The production is touring the UK and I can recommend seeing it.
