Last night at Shakespeare By the Sea was my first time seeing William Shakespeare’s Henry V. I was impressed by how easy it was to understand the plot of this play, even though my knowledge of Medieval England is a bit rusty.
The action takes place surrounding the historic Battle of Agincourt (October 25, 1415), between the English army under the leadership of King Henry V and the French, who were led by the Constable of France. Henry V sees himself as having a rightful ancestral claim to the throne of France and seeks to defeat the French King and Dauphin (Prince) and to unite France and England under one monarch. Henry had been a wild and boisterous youth. He was friends with thieves Pistol, Nym, and Bardolph, and close with Sir John Falstaff, a drunkard who eagerly led Henry into trouble. Now, as King, Henry needs to firmly severe his ties with these former comrades and allow himself to grow into a more responsible and mature leader. Being abandoned and betrayed by Henry breaks Falstaff’s heart. In the end, Henry seeks to further bind France and England’s futures by marrying French Princess Katharine, although their courtship is difficult, as neither can speak the other’s language.
Shakespeare acknowledges how difficult it is to depict battles between thousands of men onstage with a small cast of players, and has chorus members humbly ask that the audience use their imaginations to fill in the gaps. In a similar way, director Jesse MacLean uses this sense of minimalism to his advantage. Metal poles are used as both flag poles and weapons, to great effect, the simple act of the cast moving in tandem with one another beautifully represents an ocean voyage, and the doubling and tripling of cast members in different, yet connected, roles really adds to the sense of play inherent in this kind of retelling of history. The costumes (Bianca Tufford) also are suggestive of the historical time period, while also very contemporary and simple, which also adds to the playful nature of the production.
Stand out performances in the company include Drew O’Hara, Tom Gordon Smith and Melissa MacGougan as the merry thieves Pistol, Nym, and Bardolph, Garry Williams’ heartbreaking performance as Sir John Falstaff, Dylan Brentwood’s “Stereotypical Welshman” Captain Fluellen, and Deivan Steele as the pompous Dauphin. Jade Douris is also wonderful as the earnest Page Boy. Shakespeare really writes this play as a showcase for its King Henry and here James MacLean rises spectacularly to the occasion. He oscillates so clearly between showing strength and the hardened grit of a warrior, and being softer, embracing his humanity, honestly admitting his shortcomings (telling Katharine he may not be eloquent, but he is sincere), and showing glimmers of the more free spirited youth he once was. This is a truly powerhouse performance from MacLean, he really brings King Henry V to life with gusto and heart.
Thematically, I was struck the most by Shakespeare’s depiction of a war in which the leader of the government is also the leader of the military. Bone Spurs jokes aside, we see how heavily the monarch’s decisions weigh on him when its his life and the lives of his brothers and cousins that are immediately at stake. Kathryn McCormack plays the Duke of Exeter, and it’s lovely how obvious it is that they are family. The play was also, obviously, written to be favourable toward King Henry V and to present history in a way that was skewed toward glorifying the victorious English and vilifying the French. This sort of propaganda endures and is especially relevant for us as we attempt to decolonize the way we understand, learn, and teach our own violent history.
Henry V is one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, but this playful production really breathes fresh life into a very old story, and it depicts the remarkable victory at the Battle of Agincourt, which many folks here may not know very much (if anything) about. It’s certainly an example of the truth being more extraordinary than fiction.
Henry V plays at the Cambridge Battery in Point Pleasant Park (5530 Point Pleasant Drive, Halifax) on select days from now through August 29, 2019. All performances are at 7:00pm. Tickets are by donation (suggested price is $20.00) or you can book a “Sweet Seat” (a chair in the first few rows) in advance for $25.00. For more information, please visit this website.
You can find Shakespeare By the Sea on Social Media: Facebook. Twitter. Instagram (@SBTSHalifax).
