Henry V, Barbican Theatre ***

Greg Doran's history cycle is completed by Alex Hassell returning to the role of Hal post-adolescence as a serious and focussed Henry, signalled by the death of Falstaff at the beginning of the play. Doran really needs to drop the apparent reverence for Shakespeare as it is resulting in academic and dated productions that make no attempt to engage or excite an audience. There seems to be little change here with some soliloquies feeling like a drab recital of verse and even the highly comedic scene between Katherine and Henry feeling laboured and a touch plodding. On the other hand, the ponderous nature of this cycle of history plays suit Henry V better than Henry IV. Alex Hassell lacked the youthful energy that a good Prince Hal must have but is a greater Henry because of it. His tone may not be quite right for the big speeches yet his detached and aloof style of acting works in showing the isolation of the king. The older actors are the better ones here, injecting life into the play. Oliver Ford Davies is wonderfully comic as the chorus and he sounds like he has properly understood and interpreted Shakespeare's text unlike many of the cast. Jane Lapotaire is also a delight as Queen Isobel. Paul Englishby's music is probably the finest in straight theatre at the moment, with his Te Deum here creating extremely powerful theatre whilst his continuation of Prince Hal's theme from Henry IV is rousing and special to listen to. His music is the highlight of the evening along with Stephen Brimson Lewis' design which both exposes the mechanics of the operation for chorus scenes and has a sense of grandure and elegance which makes the evening special. This play show signs of breaking free from the restrictive and dated staging of Shakespeare, creating an evening not without it's exciting moments.

Merchant of Venice, Royal Shakespeare Theatre ***

I had a choice between seeing Polly Findlay's Merchant starring Patsy Ferran or Trevor Nunn's Volpone with Henry Goodman. In the end, I chose youth over experience and chose Merchant. A few weeks later, the reviews came out for the production and it felt like I had made the wrong decision. Apart from one five star review from a reviewer whose views I disagree with on a regular basis, the bulk of the reviews were negative to say the least. The few people I spoke to in the weeks leading up to my trip weren't very complimentary of it either. Therefore, I went into the performance with lower than low expectations.

Therefore, it felt great to come out and say that it is OK. It is far from perfect. The pendulum was distracting with no real purpose; the brass set, whilst meaningful, felt like a wrong move; and the use of a Brechtian style of theatre had no real purpose and made it feel more like a student production than an RSC one. However, I can watch Patsy Ferran act all day without getting bored and the company, who are in rep, are just as fantastic in this as they were in Othello. It feels fantastic to see a production that focuses on Portia  rather than just on the anti- semitism and Shylock. The route Findlay has chosen for then relationship between Antonio and Bassanio, whilst an odd one, is justifiable and makes the final scenes bubble and come alive. Khoury is perfectly fine as Shylock,even if his story is brought back and Tim Samuels makes a decent stab at injecting some fun and dry humour into Lancelot Gobbo. The production as a whole is quite eerie and feels quite experimental so that, whilst it does have flaws, I came out not regretting my decision to see this daring and odd take on Shakespeare's troublesome play.

Othello, Royal Shakespeare Theatre ****

I have an apology to make. I have previously been critical of the RSC, saying that their productions have been too dry and dull and, up until now, I have found it to be true. However, it seems as if a new wave of directorial talent is leading to some really dynamic and exciting productions in Stratford. Othello is a prime example of a director really engaging with the text and producing a production that boils with tension, mixing vibrancy and institution superbly. Iqbal Quan's production mixes elements from both old and new, showing the deeply religious elements of Venice and the use of television screens. This idea of old coexisting with new is shown in the music, with Akintayo Akinbode using both traditional African music and modern RnB and 'rap battles'. This idea helps to reflect the two worlds within the play between both ages and classes, with Othello choosing an arithmetician rather than a soldier as his lieutenant or the age difference between Othello and his wife Desdemona. The subtlety to this is quite exquisitely done and creates satisfying moments. Water is also very important in the production, with Ciaran Bagnall designing this wonderful feature that works as a bath, a river, a hiding place, a table and a canal in an inspired design decision. Joanna Vanderham's style of acting feels eerily close to Olivia Vinall, whose Desdemona I didn't catch in the National's production, which was slightly distracting for me yet her choice to take the role and play her with more fire and sass thanis written for her felt fresh and interesting. Dharker plays Emilia with true passion and is the most sympathetic character in the production. Quarsie's Othello is very good also yet it is the anti hero that is the more impressive. Lucian Msmati makes a charismatic and likeable Iago which makes his divisive qualities seem impressive rather than detestable. At many points in the first half of this production, you find yourself rooting for Iago over Othello, which is helped by ironing out of some racial problems by having a black Iago. This RSC just feels a world away from the one I thought I knew which is a credit to Khan's inventive and memorable production.

Death of a Salesman, Noël Coward Theatre ****

It is fair to say that I have not been overly impressed by the output of the RSC recently. The Henry IV plays were far from comedy gold and I wasn't charmed by Oppenheimer. There is a certain dry quality to what the company produce which is problematic. However, I think this production of Salesman has restored my admiration for the company. It still is a traditional staging, with nothing particularly revolutionary and yet a combination of Miller's divine text and first rate acting makes overall for a successful production. I wasn't taken with Sher's Fallstaff at all as he took the character to a place that changed and warped the dynamics and the chemistry of the play. This meant that my first opinion of this actor was negative. However, his portrayal of Willy Loman is poignant and awe inspiring to see. Harriet Walter too puts in a stellar performance as Linda, showing the character to be the true salesman of the play in her resolute defence of Willy. The relationship between Sam Marks and Alex Hassell at the start was the moment when I could connect with the characters because of the raw emotion shown. The relationship between Hassell and Sher is also fantastic; far more complex and interesting than in Henry IV. The set design from Stephen Brimson Lewis is a tad too ordinary for me yet there are moments such as the movement scenes that show real promise. The quality of the acting shines in what could be another drab and dull RSC production which left me in tears yet genuinely angry at the society, painted by Miller, that would fail this family.

Oppenheimer, Vaudeville Theatre ***

This latest RSC transfer is another fully white cast treading the boards. This is the perfect example of a play which could have easily used actors from a diverse background but has failed. Why does it have to be left to shows like Dara and Miss Saigon to use actors who have a different skin colour other than white. It is shocking that theatre in the present day is still such a discriminatory culture. That aside, the first half of the play is pretty middle of the road, with some interest from Oppenheimer himself whose few speeches are passionate and sincere. However, there is nothing particularly interesting until the bomb is revealed. There, Tim Morton Smith's text comes to life and gets beyond the science (although Stoppard could learn a trick or two from Smith on how to use science in plays and get audiences to understand it) and to the interesting part of this project- the ethics. The final speech from Michael Grady- Hall is one of the most beautiful speeches that will no doubt be performed as audition pieces for RADA for years. The cast too, as white as they are, are electric and superb. Unfortunately, the set has much to be desired. There is minimalism and then there is can't be bothered/ no budget. Having two poles sticking out and a blackboard doesn't count as a set. This has the potential to set the world alight if it was staged in an exciting way. This production is many things, but it is far from exciting.

Henry IV Part 1, Barbican Centre ***

The Company of Henry IV part 1

 After being left disappointed by Gregory Doran's take on part 2 of the Bard's play, when I got a day ticket to the first part, my expectations were low. Luckily, the Henry IV part 1 is substantially better then part 2. As it is, in my opinion, Shakespeare's best play, it would have taken a truly terrible performance to put me off liking it. There are still the problems that were present in Stratford. I still found Sher's Falstaff to be too smug and dis-likeable for me and the production feels a bit too safe. However, the jokes still made me chuckle even if they were not as big as the Globe's laughs, and the battle is very effective. One thing I noticed as well was Englishby's score which is superb, with the main theme 'Urbs Beatta Jerusalem' sending shivers up my spine. Whilst this is far from perfection, it is quite a bit better than it's second part.

Henry IV Part II, Royal Shakespeare Theatre **

The cast of Henry IV  Part II

Photo by Kwame Lestrade

As I had a week in Stratford, it seemed a good idea to finish what I started at the Globe by seeing part 2 of the Henry IV saga. After the production, everyone was entusiastic about it over different points. My moother was suprised she  could understand the soliloquies; my uncle was impressed by the costumes and my cousin's favorite scene was  Hal and Poins or 'those fit guys' took their tops off. It just shows how Shakespeare can appeal to anyone. For me, whilst this production does not have the life of the Globe production, with Allam giving a better Falstaff than Sher's, it does keep the attention of the audience during the more serious scenes such as the decline of Britton's king which is performed superbly. However, what impressed me most was the set. It is basic with a crack down the middle to emphasise the crack in the kingdom and the rebellion. The main thing that annoyed me was the start where the chorus, Rumour, is in modern day clothes whilst the rest of the show is in period costume! It also gives the programme producers the most contrived piece in a programme that I have ever seen. Overall, this performance has as many things to be enjoyed as to dislike meaning that it never paricularly impressed me. This is not the show to see for a first RSC performance.