I came late to Shakespeare as we did not study his works at school. I have now seen lots of productions including some at his birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon, A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Globe in London, Macbeth at the Minack in Cornwall plus a few more. They can take a while to get into as the language is different to how we speak now, but they are something special.
I had not seen any of the history plays until this week. The fact that Sir Ian McKellen was starring was an attraction. As well as his many movie roles (including Gandalf and Magneto) we had dinner his share of The Bard. Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre combines both parts of Henry IV transported to a modern setting. McKellen plays Falstaff who is a friend of young Prince Harry. At 84 he may be older than the original character, but he is still a great performer.
King Henry does not actually play a huge role, but he has to deal with a rebellion in the north. I did not know the story, but it was not hard to follow.
The production is impressive. The stage seemed fairly bare with brick walls, but various sets are brought on very cleverly as the cast pull curtains across the stage. That includes a burning fireplace in some scenes. The battle is dramatic with lots of noise and debris across the stage.
There is a lot of humour in the play. Falstaff is a drunk and a liar who really drives the story. It is a bit of an endurance test at over 3 hours, but it does not drag. This was a matinee performance so they would have to do it all again in the evening.
The production is touring the UK and I can recommend seeing it.
I love old theaters like that. Actually, it's a bit sad that everything can be done from the living room now, with Netflix and such.
Some theatre performances do get filmed or streamed, but it's not the same as being in the room. London still has a fair few old theatres. They have character, but the seats in some are not so great. I could have done with being more comfortable for this long show. The next day I was seeing my daughter in an orchestra play Haydn's Creation. That is pretty long too. It's been a busy weekend.
The 26th I am going to see Tristan and Isolde in the Opera in Copenhagen - That one goes beyond pretty long :) But it is wonderful to have children that can play music and being clever in all sorts of ways.
It has been a very long time since I attended a theatre performance. Which is a bit of a shame considering I am in a city known for it's theatre. Should remedy it one of these days.
I keep trying to get into Shakespeare ( i love his stories as adapted to the modern tongue, but trying to enjoy it in original) People like Sir Ian Mckellan and Dame Judi Dench make me want to really get into it. :)
It can be hard work to follow, but it's worth the effort.
Greetings @steevc
Thank you for this lovely post.....especially for those who are fans of The Bard.
Oh yes....what a delight Shakespeare can be....it is interesting the language is ancient as it were but once you have seen or read a story a few times...Smiles...you can quote it yourself and enjoy it.
Henry V is good on film (the 1989 version) but excellent on stage.
Kind Regards,
Bleujay
Sounds great! Would love to see that live:) And the setting looks very impressive, especially old school lodges and balconies. Love it!
At Friday in Belfast Strand Art Centre was 'Hamlet' film adaptation of famous Shakespearian play with Sir Ian Kellen in the title role . I usually not in favour of 'modern takes' on dramas, but I actually enjoyed that one, and would recommend it to everybody to see:)
I didn't think there were any schools you could escape Shakespeare!
We did some Arthur Miller. Not sure if the Bard was ever compulsory.
We all did the merchant of Venice and Romeo and Juliet. At the time we were less than happy
Wow Shakespeare was nothing short of a a legend... It's a special thing to see this in person, I really wish to go here one day friend.. wow... And oh less I forget... Happy Mother's Day to thy beloved Mother Steve🙏❤️
It's not mother's day here. I'm sure you could see some Shakespeare somewhere.
Wait what it's not😳😳 I thought it was worldwide
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/when-mothers-day-2024-what-origins-meaning-different-world-dates-b985103.html
Wow Steve I never knew this😂😂😂 thank you so much.. I would have embarrassed myself somewhere else thanks so much
Shakespeare is certainly everywhere
It's been a long time since I've been to a play. I used to enjoy them a lot. I've seen some Shakespeare adapted by a company we have here called El Público, which does a lot of social criticism. It's wonderful the work they do, and very audacious.
To be or not to be, that is the question? 😅