THE WARS OF THE ROSES, adapted by Peter Hall and John Barton from the three parts of Shakespeare’s Henry VI and Richard III, was premiered by the RSC in 1963 and has not been seen since then. Trevor Nunn’s fluid revival of this legendary production at Rose Theatre, Kingston-on-Thames, is dedicated to Hall and Barton, his mentors.
The Henry V1 plays, which trace the power struggle between the Houses of York and Lancaster for the throne of England from 1455 to 1487, are among Shakespeare’s earliest works. Highly popular when written (circa 1592) they are so rarely produced, that whenever they are staged, it becomes something of an occasion. You might be surprised by just how much cutting, re-arranging, rewriting and adapting Hall and Barton did. There is a lot of pastiche Shakespeare.
Alex Waldmann’s King Henry, like Peter Pan, never grows up and remains a child forever. Gentle, mild, virtuous, he is too Christian, too saintly, too weak, too ineffectual, to be a medieval king. Joely Richardson has one the great female roles in Shakespeare: Marguerite, She-wolf of France, who is transformed: from a beautiful princess into a brutal warrior queen and then transformed again into a mad old hag. There is a particularly strong performance by James Simmons as Talbot and Talbot’s early departure is thus even more regrettable.
Richard III is written in a different key and is usually performed on its own as bravura showcase for a great actor. Acted now as the climax to the trilogy, Robert Sheerhan’s youthful caricature doesn’t feel right in the present context.
I saw all three plays on one day, an exciting marathon for actors and audience alike. You can do this, too, or you can see them on three separate days. There is not much sense in seeing just one play on its own.