In the early nineteen sixties, according to the programme, celebrated Shakespeare directors John Barton and Peter Hall tied them selves up in knots and reached the point of nervous breakdown over adapting Shakespeare's HENRY VI trilogy into two plays.The result is regarded as something of a mythical triumph and a young Trevor Nunn, who's gone on to be the finest Shakespeare director of his generation, was deeply impressed. So much so that he has just revived the three part script as a tribute to his mentors Barton and Nunn and you can see the results over one long exhilarating day from 11am to 10.45pm or one play at a time over three evenings, at the Rose Theatre in Kingston.
There have been a number of other adaptations and productions since then which make this first text seem rather old fashioned but if you've never experienced this epic medieval soap opera before that won't concern you and you're in for an unforgettable experience.
The last version I was involved in emphasised the similarities between the epic saga and TVs GAME OF THRONES. Indeed G.O.T author R.R Martin regularly cites it as an influence. No dragons of course but if you enjoy dynastic politics and battle scenes this is the show for you.
Part One of this version concerns how England lost the territories of France which the great warrior King Henry V had captured. His death left England in the control of his weedy young son and the ferocious war lords competing to control or replace him. The equally ambitious Margaret of Anjou is recruited by her lover, the suave duke of Suffolk, to be the young Kings wife.
In Part Two, my favourite, which unfortunately I had to miss last Saturday, the Royal Family is under threat from the Duke of York who considers he has a right to the throne. As the body count mounts we meet his three sons one of whom will grow into the monsterous Richard III.
Part Three of Nun and Hall’s trilogy is a slightly abridged version of the oft performed RICHARD III in which the psychopathic, deformed and highly charismatic bad boy monarch sleeps and murders his way to the throne in a reign of terror.
It’s all performed by a top notch cast at The Rose including Joely Richardson who does a terrific job of playing Queen Margaret at every stage of her life and journey from naive young woman, via warrior queen, to crazed hag. Comedian Rufus Hound shows great versatility in a range of roles and Nunn introduces us to two exceptional young actors: Alex Waldham is both funny and moving as the week and weedy Henry VI and lanky Robert Sheehan, who is an unusual choice for Richard III, lacking both physical or sexual menace.
Despite his sly, witty performance I was unconvinced he could terrorise a court and battlefield however I must confess the memory of his scuttling and slithering around the stage and through Medieval politics has stayed with me.
Much has been made of Nunn’s decision to stage all this with an entirely white cast, including the extras and it does feel wrong as these plays chronicle England’s shared heritage and we are not an all white nation.
There’s very little flash, dash or fresh insight in either the dusty old adaptation or the traditional mock medieval aesthetic of the Elizabethan style staging but the complicated plot is always admirably clear and if you’ve never seen these plays before it’s a must.
Opportunities to see the entire Wars of the Roses played out in sequence are still comparatively rare and it’s always a treat.
Wicked the musical hit, which tells the story of the wicked witch in the famous “The Wizard of Oz” has been attracting thousands of audiences to the West End for over 9 years. To use the word spectacle would not give justice to this production as it is pure musical theatre ecstasy for both eyes and ears, yet despite its great visuals and vocals there is something lacking in this world of Oz.