Phyllida Lloyd again uses the prison system to frame her all female adaptation of Henry IV which has both parts 1 & 2 pared down.
The prisoners are putting on the production and some of the aspects of the play bleed into prison life such as fighting for territory.
Harriet Walter plays the tough as old boots King with a crown made of soft drink cans. Clare Dunne plays Hal with an Irish accent. She wears a football top, headphones around her neck as she dances to the latest club beats. A son who enjoys the rowdy clubs and late nights, someone maybe not suited to take the reigns of power. Jade Anouka is is Hotspur, strong, muscular and a boxer who should on paper easily overcome the wiry Hal in a fight.
Despite the setting of the prison and at times sparse scenery, there is humour here as well as deviation from Shakespearean language. At one point the size of a female part of the anatomy is compared to the interior of the Tardis.
There is energy here, the acting styles vary rather a lot. It might not always had worked for me. You have to get used to the all female cast playing male characters plus the modern setting but the essence of the story is maintained.
The prisoners are putting on the production and some of the aspects of the play bleed into prison life such as fighting for territory.
Harriet Walter plays the tough as old boots King with a crown made of soft drink cans. Clare Dunne plays Hal with an Irish accent. She wears a football top, headphones around her neck as she dances to the latest club beats. A son who enjoys the rowdy clubs and late nights, someone maybe not suited to take the reigns of power. Jade Anouka is is Hotspur, strong, muscular and a boxer who should on paper easily overcome the wiry Hal in a fight.
Despite the setting of the prison and at times sparse scenery, there is humour here as well as deviation from Shakespearean language. At one point the size of a female part of the anatomy is compared to the interior of the Tardis.
There is energy here, the acting styles vary rather a lot. It might not always had worked for me. You have to get used to the all female cast playing male characters plus the modern setting but the essence of the story is maintained.
