Player Kings is a new adaption of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 by the award-winning writer and director Robert Icke.
Known for creating easily accessible productions of classics like his 2022 tour of Animal Farm or the upcoming West End run of Oedipus, Icke tackles the bard with fervor in this production starring ‘one of the world’s greatest actors’ (Times) Ian McKellen as Falstaff.
A divided country, leadership crumbling, corruption in the air. Welcome to England.
Hal wasn’t born to be king. Only now, it seems, he will be. His father longs for him to leave behind his friends in the taverns of Eastcheap, most notably the infamous John Falstaff. War is on the horizon. But will Hal ever come good?
Ian McKellen as Falstaff is magnificent. McKellen’s charismatic magnetism is palpable throughout as he stumbles, mumbles and slurs his way through the drunken Falstaff’s lines. Switching from comedy one minute to his own morality the next, McKellen deploys his iconic Shakesperean technique to achieve Icke’s vision of an accessible and startling modern rendition of the character for a contemporary audience.
As the young Hal, Toheeb Jimoh is absolutely fantastic. From bare arsed drunken stupor to hardened royal, Jimoh’s delivery of Hal’s story is very affecting and easy to identify with.
As King Henry IV, Richard Coyle is wonderfully imposing. From coronation to death, Coyle delivers a King that is stoic and proud.
The larger ensemble play a multitude of characters throughout allowing the audience to be easily drawn into the story in this new adaption including a star turn form Clare Perkins as Mistress Quickly. Utilizing a lovely combination of warm wit and charm, Perkins is irresistible as the inn keeper. Fully realizing the loveable “wench” (to use the vernacular of the play) in Act Two, Perkins scenes with McKellen are a riot which had the audience in fits of laughter.
Hildegard Bechtler’s simple but effective set design saw the play staged against brick walls with a series of velvet curtains that were tracked on and off to cleverly cover scene changes. The Battle of Shrewsbury was graphically depicted through chairs, debris and blood accompanied by an all encompassing lighting design by Lee Curran. Whether it was the battle itself or smaller squabbles in bars, Fight Director Kev McCurdy added much to the production with stage combat that elicited gasps from the audience.
Gareth Fry’s sound design was extremely effective. From utilizing the subtle sounds of birds chirping for outdoor scenes to the more heavy drum and bass moments at the Inn, Fry’s design saw that every actor was audible and the text and story was at the forefront of the production. Robert Icke’s direction and vision for this production was to deliver a slimed down version of Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 that was accessible to a modern audience. At almost four hours in total, he has achieved this immeasurably and I found myself wishing all classic plays could be looked at and edited in the same vein.
Player Kings is an extraordinary new adaption of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, staring one of the greats. Shakespeare purists will enjoy seeing Henry onstage again while those less familiar with the piece will be wrapped up in it’s drama, intrigue, comedy and tale of royal accession.
Playing until June 22, book now to see Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre before this epic saga embarks on a UK Tour.
Reviewed by Stuart James
