August 27, 2009
Parts of this were very good indeed - the scene following the death of Falstaff, the scene where Henry is in disguise talking to the common soldiers, Henry's tortured prayer that God will not visit his father's sins on him today (the day of Agincourt) the scenes between Henry and Katharine, and all the scenes containing the King of France - these were quality pieces, brimming with energy, intelligence and passion.
But much is expected of this production - today Oxford, Sunday Stratford on Avon, next week London, the week after Tblisi Georgia - and one would like it to deliver more consistently than it does. The characteristic weaknesses of student drama - weak actors in minor roles and poor production values - which you would expect to be rigorously eradicated from a flagship production scheduled for an international tour by prestigious OUDS - were all too present. This was in no way superior to the usual run of student productions in Oxford and decidedly less compelling and committed than some of the productions I've seen in the last year or two.
It was rescued from mediocrity by one or two very strong performances - notably by Leo Marcus Wan as the King of France and Fluellen - and some flashes of originality in staging, such as Henry's recognition of the soldier who had challenged him as one among a heap of dead bodies, and (following the example of Branagh) the inclusion of a final scene from a completely different play. But apart from this much of it was unremarkable; no real attempt to make sense of Henry and no central driving vision, other than the message that War is a Bad Thing and that it was all a bit of a pointless effort since seven years later Henry was dead and everything he gained was subsequently lost.
Jacob Lloyd as Henry V was an imposing physical presence, shaven-headed, belligerent, powerful, but too often his Henry was well-spoken and bland; he was sort of the exact opposite of Leo Marcus Wan, who has the appearance of being born to play consumptive poets, but effortlessly dominates the stage with his expressive face, devastating charisma and extraodrinarily beautiful voice - alone worth leaving your house for.
The ensemble playing often worked well and other players deserving of honourable mention were Jack Cooke, Louis Brooke, Harriet Madeley and Martha May; but overall the verdict must be a slightly disappointed Could Do Better.
But much is expected of this production - today Oxford, Sunday Stratford on Avon, next week London, the week after Tblisi Georgia - and one would like it to deliver more consistently than it does. The characteristic weaknesses of student drama - weak actors in minor roles and poor production values - which you would expect to be rigorously eradicated from a flagship production scheduled for an international tour by prestigious OUDS - were all too present. This was in no way superior to the usual run of student productions in Oxford and decidedly less compelling and committed than some of the productions I've seen in the last year or two.
It was rescued from mediocrity by one or two very strong performances - notably by Leo Marcus Wan as the King of France and Fluellen - and some flashes of originality in staging, such as Henry's recognition of the soldier who had challenged him as one among a heap of dead bodies, and (following the example of Branagh) the inclusion of a final scene from a completely different play. But apart from this much of it was unremarkable; no real attempt to make sense of Henry and no central driving vision, other than the message that War is a Bad Thing and that it was all a bit of a pointless effort since seven years later Henry was dead and everything he gained was subsequently lost.
Jacob Lloyd as Henry V was an imposing physical presence, shaven-headed, belligerent, powerful, but too often his Henry was well-spoken and bland; he was sort of the exact opposite of Leo Marcus Wan, who has the appearance of being born to play consumptive poets, but effortlessly dominates the stage with his expressive face, devastating charisma and extraodrinarily beautiful voice - alone worth leaving your house for.
The ensemble playing often worked well and other players deserving of honourable mention were Jack Cooke, Louis Brooke, Harriet Madeley and Martha May; but overall the verdict must be a slightly disappointed Could Do Better.