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magidI went to the HRDC production of Henry V (Shakespeare) at the Loeb Ex. I'm glad I was already familiar enough with the play that I didn't need to catch every word precisely: there were a few too many actors spitting out words at such a prodigious rate that it was hard to follow. Sometimes, it was used for effect (the legal basis for Henry's claims, towards the beginning, for instance), while it seemed to be used instead of an accent in for Fluellen. It left me with a feeling of breathlessly rushing through, with pauses for slower-paced speeches from Henry and a few others.
Other than that, it was an ok, if not exciting, production. The audience was on two adjacent sides of a square, with a large path in the corner between which was where the square stage point, which kept the motion flowing more, having entrances from the usual either side plus back and front. The stet was minimal, with two stacked plinths and four long columns of fabric that were lit from below and moved about to indicate high society or low-brow comic relief.
The whole question of minorities within the English army felt rather glossed over, despite a glorious leek being sacrificed towards the end. And the intrigues in the lower classes felt more tacked on than usual. I was left with my regular questions of how Henry found out about the plot against him, and why there was so much narration about shifting time/location, which tends to pull me out of the action. There was one line I don't remember hearing before, at the very end, saying how there was a chance for these two countries to be united, but Henry VI lost it, which changed the tone of the whole thing. Yes, Henry V is still a golden boy (literally, in this show, the lead being blond (and noticeably good in this role)), and the play is about his triumph with Divine help, and so on, but it's not the same unabashed hagiography once the later results are actually stated.
Other than that, it was an ok, if not exciting, production. The audience was on two adjacent sides of a square, with a large path in the corner between which was where the square stage point, which kept the motion flowing more, having entrances from the usual either side plus back and front. The stet was minimal, with two stacked plinths and four long columns of fabric that were lit from below and moved about to indicate high society or low-brow comic relief.
The whole question of minorities within the English army felt rather glossed over, despite a glorious leek being sacrificed towards the end. And the intrigues in the lower classes felt more tacked on than usual. I was left with my regular questions of how Henry found out about the plot against him, and why there was so much narration about shifting time/location, which tends to pull me out of the action. There was one line I don't remember hearing before, at the very end, saying how there was a chance for these two countries to be united, but Henry VI lost it, which changed the tone of the whole thing. Yes, Henry V is still a golden boy (literally, in this show, the lead being blond (and noticeably good in this role)), and the play is about his triumph with Divine help, and so on, but it's not the same unabashed hagiography once the later results are actually stated.
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On a completely unrelated note....
Date: 2008-12-15 09:43 pm (UTC)Re: On a completely unrelated note....
Date: 2008-12-16 12:40 am (UTC)