Last updated: 29 July 2023
Not being a student of Shakespeare, I confess I sourced a CliffsNotes summary of the play, before setting forth to the performance of Antic Disposition’s Henry V in Temple Church.
The venue, a 12th Century Church in the middle of London’s law district is well hidden off the map. It’s an intimate setting with church pews turned in to face the traverse stage as the remaining rays of the days sun shine through the oversized stained glass windows. It is no accident that this adaptation coincides with the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt, for which the original text is set, or that it’s 100 years since World War One, the setting for this performance.
A military hospital on the fields of France sets the scene for this play. An English solider is aided into a field hospital by a French ally and into the arms of a well spoken French nurse. For here, the French and English are allies, it’s WWI and we’re fighting the Central Powers. In gratitude, the Englishman hands over his only possession to his ally, a copy of Henry V.
From here, the nurses and injured soldiers conjure up a plan to put on a performance of Henry V to lift spirits and find some peace as war ravages on around them. The set is minimalistic; as if they used whatever items they had to set the scenes. A wooden spoon & a mop for weapons and the crowns for the Kings of England and France, made from the tin cans sourced from their Tommy packs.
A young King Henry is played by Freddie Stewart. An age appropriate casting for a new King, tormented by responsibility to his people, his God and his legacy. There’s tension in his face, determination in his eyes and a faint quiver in his voice as he rallies his troops for what seems to be an impossible task, to win against impossible odds.
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The acoustics in the Church are a bit hit and miss. The bisecting stage divides the audience as if we were righting a battle of our own. Voices, music and songs bounce off the walls and disappear into the cavernous ceiling if the cast have their backs to you. This proves a challenge for the cast to speak to all sides, quite literally.
As the second act rolls around I’ve found my groove with the story, however my bottom is numb from the Church pews. I’m restless in discomfort and my eyes begin to wander. I look around and observe my fellow audience members. Silence. Awe. I spot the woman in front of me clutching a tissue and has tears streaming down her face as the young King launches into his famous St Crispin’s Day speech.
The supporting cast provide powerful accompaniment along with the appropriately timed musical pieces break the scenes apart, as the soldiers stay in character. However for me, it was James Murfitt’s very real display of shell-shock that took my breath away as genuine concern and gasps of disturbance spread throughout the audience like a wave. Floriane Andersen’s fast-paced French kept me wishing I’d paid more attention in class.
It is very much a creative but effective take on a classic play. The intimacy to which the play is structured renders the audience with a unique and very personal experience. I left the Temple Church feeling quite moved and mawkish. The Boy and I shared a tender but silent hug in the Inner Temple courtyard as it dawned on me, that if it were simply 100 years ago, he would have been one of those young soldiers being hauled off to war.
The Essentials | Henry V
- When: 24 August – 05 September 2015
- Where: Temple Church, Temple, London EC4Y 7BB
- Transport: Nearest Underground station is Temple.
- Cost: Tickets from £20.
- Verdict: French language proficiency would be beneficial but overall highly recommended; just don’t forget the tissues.
