The pioneer of epic theatre, a form that forces the audience to reflect on their own actions rather than to emote with the action taking place onstage, Brecht has inspired generations of theatre makers with his forward thinking mode of theatre making. There are plenty of dramaturgical texts that have been uttered as being must reads, and Caucasian Chalk Circle falls into that category. As I make my way to The Jack Studio, I wonder why I have never read, or even seen a version of the play before…
Henry V is a difficult play in many ways. Even by Shakespearean standards the text is dense, the moments of comedic relief are few and far between and the characters aren‘t exactly the most charming of the Old Bard‘s canon. In other words, this play requires work from both audience and cast and if it pays it can be something amazing.
The Lazarus Theatre Company use an all female cast in this production, combining it with a slightly surreal aesthetic to spice it all up but ultimately rely on the Bard‘s words to carry the story. It feels a tad stif at times, and placing the break at the end of the fourth act makes for a long first half. After the break the story picks up at a much faster pace, ending with a beautifully theatric coronation.
The best moments of the play are the numerous battles, which the company find ways of conveying on stage. Being it by blowing out candles or throwing tennis balls they find ways of showing grand wars on a small stage. Between them we are faced with a wall of text and despite the obvious skill of the actresses, they seem to lack the drive to keep the endless soliloquys alive and interesting. Colette O’Rourke does a fine job as Henry, especially during the monologues where she is calling her people to war.
Sophie Tanza Quinn and Kerry Willison-Parry also do wonders, both managing to stand out from the cast with their energy and also genuinly seeming to be enjoying themselves. The mood of the play is very sombre and it is easy to like the two actresses for mixing that up a bit.
Ultimately this is a perfectly decent show. Nothing spectacular but with just enough interesting bits mixed in. The aesthetic is interesting and the surrealism of it lends much needed colour. Despite that and the cast, it’s a very pure production, with the emphasis on the difficult text. 3/5
Review written by Ingimar Sverrisson.
Henry V is currently showing at the Union Theatre until Saturday 18th July. For more information on the production, visit here…
Thomas Middleton’s 17th century play The Revenger’s Tragedy is a story of power and revenge set in an Italian court. The story follows the fate of a man who swears to avenge his lover’s rape and murder, stopping at nothing to achieve his aim. Written in difficult verse, and with a convoluted plot line and quite divisive content (rape, torture, and every type of “icide” you can think of) this is a tough one to approach, to say the least. Maybe Lazarus Theatre Company should be praised for taking it on at all, in their new adaptation at the Jack Studio. Unfortunately theatrical bravery does not a good production make.
List all the Shakespeare plays you know. The first few will roll of the tongue, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear, the endless Henry series and maybe even A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Then, depending on schooling, will probably be the likes of Julius Ceasar, Taming Of The Shrew, The Tempest etc… The point being, there are many Shakespeare plays most of us think of before we name Troilus and Cressida and Coriolanus which happen to make up the Lazarus Theatre Company‘s double bill.
Theatrefullstop Newsletter
Recent Posts
- Dancer and Choreographer Chaquille Forrester-Osborne talks about dance collective, Gully South Block’s addition to this year’s Breakin’ Convention line up
- National Theatre celebrates 100th National Theatre Live release of ‘Nye’ with short film
- Artist Tom Bailey announces walk across Scotland, Norway and Denmark in response to the challenges of green theatre touring
- Announcing the judges for the 2024 SoA Awards
- Kygo announces world tour across North America and Europe
Archives
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013