The Camden New Journal on Henry V, May 2 2002
Henry V
Shaw Theatre
British Touring Shakespeare
The Shaw Theatre returned quietly to the theatre scene since it reopened last year, but with the arrival of the British Touring Shakespeare Company BTS, it is time that a little more noise was made.
BTS, fresh from trips to Dubai, ahs brought along Henry V and Romeo and Juliet for it's Spring season at the Shaw; it boasts a young cast and director, mostly fresh from university, and an increasing number of positive reviews. The company has yet to truly catch the public's imagination, but with many more shows like this they surely should.
Henry V must be a somewhat difficult play to stage, with the film versions by Shakespeare veterans Sir Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh to compare it to. With a sparse stage set, just a chair and two clothes rails, the play is very dependent on the actors, and their power in conveying Shakespeare's language and the deftness of the direction. And in this the company certainly succeeds.
Guided by the excellent and steady hand of the chorus, played with finesse and timing by Mike Rogers, the audience is smoothly led through Henry's conquests in France and the machinations and sexual politics of the French court, until we finally arrive at the play's denouement, Agincourt and the royal wedding between Henry and Princess Katharine of France.
The entire cast is capable and convincing, and the humour brought by ridiculous characters such as Pistol and Fluellen is well executed.
Miles Gregory's direction is excellent. Using the popular theatrical technique of utilising the entire theatre, Gregory successfully places Henry V on a suitably grand scale. Indeed, Montjoy, the French messenger, hardly ever appears on stage, speaking most of his lines from somewhere amongst the audience.
The real star of the show, however, is Tom Mallaburn as Henry. He is commanding throughout, totally convincing as the conquering King. He manages to dominate the stage without ever crushing roles of lesser importance, allowing the play to truly prosper.
On this evidence the RSC has got a run for its money.
Joel Taylor
