Act I
King Henry (Oliver Cotton) is strong at the beginning,
which is great. He only sits on his throne during Westmoreland’s first speech.
However, when delivering the line “Of
Murray, Angus, and Menteith,” he struggles to recall the last name, leading
Blunt to provide it to him (something not in the text).
Prince Hal (Jamie Parker) enters from the trap, following
a prostitute, to whom he tosses a coin. His pants are at his ankles. Falstaff
(Roger Allam) is in bed, and he gargles with his drink. This Hal is clearly not
looking forward to ruling, at least not yet, for when Falstaff says “when thou art king,” he shows
disinterest, even exasperation, at the thought and lies back down on the stage.
Falstaff takes great joy in his own speech, stressing his joke “were it not here apparent that thou art
heir-apparent.” Poins has an air of excitement about him, and he takes much
delight in telling Hal the exploit he has planned. Hal’s “I knew you all” is delivered to the back of the stage as Poins
makes his exit there. Worcester (William Gaunt) uses a walking stick and exits
through the audience. King Henry gets furious with Hotspur (Sam Crane) here,
leading to a fit of coughing, a nice touch. That leads to Hotspur getting all
hot, and he is delightfully mad when he has the idea of training a starling to
say nothing but “Mortimer.”
Northumberland’s reactions to Hotspur’s raging are wonderful.
Act II
The second act begins with a brief song delivered by
Gadshill, who then exits before the carriers enter. Falstaff enters from within the audience. After his “break my wind” line, he further
indicates the fart joke by using his clothes to fan his ass. The others make
bird sounds, and Falstaff attempts to respond in kind with a whistle, but –
failing that – simply shouts, a funny moment. As Kate Percy does her speech, she begins to berate
Hotspur, who himself is for once still, creating an interesting dynamic. And
his expression is serious, until he finds a way of diverting his own attention
elsewhere.
The bit between Hal and Francis is great and hilarious.
Hal is a delight throughout this scene, taking wonderful joy in his fun. And of
course Falstaff is wonderful as he tells his tale of being robbed. And the
interaction between them is perfect. Falstaff pauses before offering his new
explanation, “I knew ye as well as he that
made ye,” which makes it all the more funny. He is at his most honest when
he exclaims, “I am glad you have the
money.” And they all join in a song and dance. On Falstaff’s “Convey my tristful queen,” two others
pull Mistress Quickly aside. Falstaff’s speech is delightful, particularly when
speaking of himself. He then takes great joy in acting as the Prince,
pretending to do much of what we’ve already seen Hal do. There is an
interesting moment when Hal turns serious, but can’t maintain it long, soon
laughing once again at Falstaff. It is then that we see both a hint of what is
to come, and the love Hal has for Falstaff.
Act III
The third act also begins with a short song, this one
delivered by Glendower. Then his bragging is quite funny. Also funny is Hotspur’s
reaction when Glendower says his daughter will sing a song. I love the strong moment where King Henry puts a sudden
halt to Hal’s speech, taking Hal out of his element. After Hal’s “I will tear the reckoning from my heart,”
he and King Henry embrace, a surprising and touching moment. They are as
surprised by it as we are, it seems.
Hal enters playing the pipe, leading Falstaff and
Bardolph in a short march. Quickly’s husband is above, a silent watchful man,
and references to him are met with laughter from the audience.
Act IV
Act IV begins with a song, this one with a war-like beat.
Hotspur’s energy now contains a certain nervousness, which is wonderful. Falstaff is now decked out in some armor – a breastplate
and helmet. But he also carries food and drink, bringing something of his world
of leisure with him. Blunt enters through the audience. Hotspur holds out his
hand to him, but Blunt does not clasp it.
Act V
No song begins this act, but rather King Henry, Prince
Hal and the others enter with purpose from upstage. Worcester enters through
the audience. There is a nice moment when King Henry turns down Hal’s offer of
one-on-one combat with Hotspur as means of solving the dispute. After “Honor pricks me on,” Falstaff turns to
follow Hal and the others, then turns back to the audience to deliver the rest
of his famous speech.
It is interesting to me, as always, that while Worcester
lies about King Henry’s answer, he offers a nugget of truth about Prince Hal’s
offer to Hotspur. Though it is Vernon, of course, who speaks of Hal’s demeanor.
Blunt wears a black cloth covering the lower part of his face, to help Douglas
mistake him for the king. Falstaff seems to suffer a wound in his fight with
Douglas, and so seems to fall as much as at the sight of his own blood as from
his decision to counterfeit death to save his own life. But then we see he has
faked the wound as well. That’s wonderful. Falstaff struggles to lift Hotspur.
Bardolph enters to help lift him at the end of the scene. After King Henry’s final line, the flag bearing the crest
is raised, and the company engages in a dance.
There is one intermission during the performance, coming
after Act III Scene ii, and it is then that viewers much switch to the second
disc. This DVD was released on July 3, 2012.
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