The Leeds Playhouse – until 25 February 2023
Reviewed by Sal Marino
5*****
If like me you sometimes struggle to understand what is going on in Shakespeare’s plays (especially the lesser known ones) then fear not because if you’re fortunate enough to see Headlong’s (in association with Leeds Playhouse and Shakespeare’s Globe) Henry V, the acting is so brilliant that it just interprets the language for you. Every facial expression, gesture, tone, movement and interaction told the story for you and because each and every actor on that stage is such a brilliant story teller in their own right; the play just flowed and unfolded without need for translation. For that reason there is no need for distracting dazzling scenery and props to aid the audience with further clues – you just have to watch the performers who captivate ones imagination through their energy and passion. Indeed, the stark scenery is a mirror (and literally a rusty mirror) for the state of the country at the time – theft of natural resources and the relationship between nature and colonisation.
Helena Lymbery as Henry IV commands the stage from the opening line and you just know from the quality of her portrayal of the dying king that this is going to be a stellar production. From there on we meet Henry V and for me, he now is Oliver Johnstone, who just embodied every sinew of the young king; perfect casting. ‘Perfect casting’ is the right phrase for every character in this production because you just believed who they were and could tell their ‘ranking’ from how they related to one another. The cast worked in complete harmony with one another playing multiple roles so smoothly and cleverly and so kudos must be shared with all of the creative team.
Through Johnstone, we watch how Henry quickly transforms from a benevolent young prince into a powerful young king and in the end, how he begins to display some lower vibrational behaviour. We see Shakespeare’s message here once again that power can and often does corrupt a person. The final scenes when Henry meets the Queen of France (Eleanor Henderson) and Princess Katherine (Joséphine Callies), as Katherine is given to Henry shows just how cruel he has become as he takes advantage of his privileged position in one of the worst ways possible.
Going even further with how power corrupts, the final ‘added’ scene that is mixed in with modern times shows how this play is relevant to today. This world-class production will enthral you and evokes that age old problem of how power can be a force for good or evil and who has it is vital to our societies future.