A Review of Propeller's Production of Henry V

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition:

And gentlemen in England now a-bed

Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Sait Crispin's day"

Last Thursday I went to see Shakespeare's Henry V performed by "Propeller" at the Theatre Royal Brighton with a few others from my MA program. Clearly this was a rather momentous event for such devout Shakespeareans. Discussion prior to the curtain rise included thoughts on how the scenes with the women would be played (as Propeller is an all male cast of 14 players), and if props would be used (as the original production is thought to have been done without any sort of stage props, as the text has numerous "interruptions" by characters reminding the audience that willing suspension of disbelief was vital as they took us back and forth to France on sea without, well, the sea). The modest theatre of Brighton was rather empty, with perhaps half of the seats filled prior to the production's introduction. And then the lights dimmed. My expectations were slightly high, as Henry V is performed less often than most, and I had heard good things of this cast...


In marched all 14 men, dressed in modernized army drab, chanting as they entered the stage. The noisy school groups enveloping my small nerd herd came to an immediate silence as the deep voices and heavy stomps echoed through the theatre. All five acts of the production carried on in this demanding war-like manner, occasionally spruced with utter silence to support the most significant dialogue, particularly Henry's St. Crispin's Day Speech. Staying almost completely true to the text, but using modernized songs and chants, instruments of war, and a construction site-like set, Propeller provided me with a beautiful ode to the bard and his ambiguous nationalistic/anti-war sentiments, as well as a relevant glimpse into the political repercussions of cross-nation battles. The roles of the females were played with much humor, as well as much awareness of the gender of the actor. Such metatheatrical moments made  the final scene when Henry marries Catherine incredibly powerful, as only here does the actor playing Catherine abandon all cross gender-related humor to heighten the seriousness of this pinnacle moment in history. The continuous asides and addresses to the audience were used as moments to change the mobile scaffolding of the set, or clean up the bloodied or dirtied stage from a previous scene. Such addresses fit seamlessly with the staging, making sure we as the audience understood that the props were only minor enhancements to this battle, and that the action and the language should continually maintain priority in the audience's experience.


Needless to say, I was blown away with the production. Once again, I am reminded that choosing to move to the UK to continue my studies of Early Modern Literature was vital to enhancing my experience as a student of Shakespeare, and hopefully one day, a teacher of such brilliant materials.