HENRY IV Donmar Theatre

Actresses, very rightly, complain that there are not enough roles for them; and this is particularly true in Shakespeare. The answer is, surely, not to have women pretending to be men, but to change the sex of the role? Phyllida Lloyd once again, in order to justify the casting of an all-female cast, turns the Donmar into a prison for female offenders. The two parts of Henry IV have been conflated. If you are happy to see actresses playing male roles and playing certain scenes extremely well, then Lloyd’s production might be of interest as an exercise and/or as a taster. Certainly, Harriet Walter as King Henry, Ashley McGuire as Falstaff, Clare Dunne as Hal and Jade Anouka as Hotspur all have their impressive moments. But the scenes do not add up to a satisfactory whole. I felt I was watching the final rehearsal before the first full dress rehearsal. If you do not know the plays you may have difficulties. The prison setting and the prison interruptions during the performance are a distraction.