Player Kings is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, adapted and directed by Robert Icke.
Icke uses chyrons to indicate the era in which the story takes place, while having actors don modern-day outfits designed by longtime collaborator Hildegard Bechtler to capture their attitudes and status. The outfits are straightforward: suits and officewear for King Henry IV (Richard Hoyle) and his parliament in Westminster, military uniforms for the generals, and so on.
With directing magic, Icke firmly succeeds in marrying both present day with the weight of history; the qualities of both underlying the entire production.
Needless to say, Sir Ian McKellen delivers a masterclass in acting as perhaps the best Sir John Falstaff this era has witnessed.
Carrying the show with him is Toheeb Jimoh as Prince Harry, whom despite wearing a black leathered hoodie and jeans for most of the production, is unmistakably a royal. With his excellent grasp of Shakespeare’s text and onstage rapport with McKellen, the show takes great pleasure in letting them both merely exist in the same space.
McKellen and Jimoh are supported by a superb cast. Samuel Edward-Cook as Hotspur and Richard Coyle are brilliant counter-characters to Prince Harry, and their counterparts Worcester (James Garnon) and Northumberland (Nigel Lister) bring dynamic energies to their scenes.
© Manuel Harlan.
Henry Jenkinson’s countertenor voice is simultaneously haunting and angelic as it floats around the space to emphasise dramatic points, blending lusciously with Gareth Fry’s atmospheric sound design and Laura Marling’s evocative composition.
Once again, Icke proves himself to be a true master of his profession, while trusting Bechtler with the visual spectacle. Massive curtains glide across the stage to obscure and reveal spaces that transform fluidly between the military bases, offices, the Boar’s Head Tavern run by the vivacious Mistress Quickly (Clare Perkins) and other transitory spaces.
Icke is unafraid to do deep dives into characters and let the richness of classical text take the spotlight. (At the same time, it is worth nothing the women get significantly less stage time, functioning mostly as background characters.)
Where the production probably wavers, is in the final twenty minutes of the entire experience. All the artistic choices within these moments are justified, but the show keeps to its slow, steady tempo for a little too long.
The concluding scenes where characters enter, stand, sit and exit without any firm purpose, before having the entire affair culminate in a dramatic blackout, comes across as slightly clunky. These events somewhat exhaust the audience, whom, despite marvelling at the brilliant work they have witnessed throughout the show, still leave the theatre seemingly depleted.
It is after all an intense three-hour presentation, and while it is a matter of the director’s preference, the kind of aftertaste left by the production may not be suitable for a Friday night crowd (although perhaps perfect for anyone attending the Saturday matinee).
Arguably, maybe there is no saving Henry IV Part 2, even with the best of visionaries and talents working on the project.
Nonetheless, Player Kings remains one of the most exceptional Shakespeare adaptations in the 21st century.
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