trouble with Shakespeare

[jinian]

I've seen the Island Stage Left summer Shakespeare productions for two years running now, and I want to go again this year even though it's Henry V and I'm not that mad about the histories. (Feel free to encourage my going by telling me how wrong I am!) The trouble is, the point of going is seeing it at the gorgeous Wold Road stage, and I have the Herbarium Foray (July 15-19) and then Beautiful Cousin #1's wedding (July 24). Maybe I can zip up to San Juan on Friday the 23rd or Sunday the 25th, but I don't know. Or go midweek somehow. Anyone else want to come and have an opinion? It may have to involve SEA PLANE.

[ETA: One second thought, SEA PLANE is a lot less practical than having a car once we get there, since there's no transit where we need to go. Zipcar, then, most likely, and probably an overnight stay on the island.]

Comments

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

The thing about Henry V is that while it is a brilliant play (with the occasional weird bit), it is a brilliant play that is the third part of a thing of which the two parts of Henry IV are the first two parts, and a fair bit of it comes across as so-so without the build-up. 1 Henry IV is also excellent, and 2 Henry IV has some excellent moments interspersed with a lot of superfluous Falstaff; if you do Netflix and/or it is otherwise feasible, I would recommend the rental of the BBC Age of Kings histories set and the watching of those two plays ere seeing Henry V.

[pameladean]

Henry V is transformed by a good production. rysmiel is right, however, about its being the last bit of a trilogy. A lot depends on how they think of the character of Hal. I recently saw a production at the Guthrie where the fact that he's a teenager was excellently played up. He was a genius of a teenager, but still. He was exuberant, brilliant, and clueless. He changed over the course of the play. If he is too solemn and prosy, it really doesn't work.

P.