Henry IV Part One (1968)

This account comes from the 1968 issue of the Bostonian magazine and was written by W P B Medlock.

In contrast to last year's comedy production The Happiest Days of Your Life the School Dramatic Society, in a combined effort with the girls of the High School - the third time the schools have worked together in this way - presented to the public in May of this year, the first part of "Henry IV", one of the not-so-well-known of Wikipedia:William Shakespeare's history plays.

Shakespeare is one of the most difficult of English playwrights to act, due to his dependence for dramatic effect not only on lengthy speeches, but also on involved word-play, much of which is obscure if not meaningless to modern audiences - and although the School Society tackled the play with enthusiasm and vigour, they themselves would, I am sure, be the first to admit that at times the performance became somewhat tedious, and even occasionally lost the attention of the audience (it should be mentioned that the production under review here was that of the first night, when the play ran for almost four hours; the shortened last night performance was, by all reports, considerably more to the public's taste, and was a remarkable success when one considers the amount of short notice reorganisation that was necessary). Within these limits, however, the play was enjoyed by all who watched it, even if a rather inconsiderate portion of the audience on the first night derived its enjoyment from the occasions when the actors forgot their lines. I have o doubt that those who, like myself, were studying this text for imminent examinations, found great benefit from the performance, and would like to pass on an especial vote of thanks to the cast.

The play itself is set in the years 1402-1403, during which time the King of England was Henry IV, a Lancastrian who gained the throne by deposing and murdering his cousin, Richard II of York, an act the guilt of which is continually felt by Henry, who sees the apparently wild, irresponsible actions of his son and heir, Prince Hal, as divine punishment. Hal is in fact a remarkably level-headed young man who knows where he is going, and what he must do when he gets there; he feels that his best method of performing his (future) office of Kingship is to be on good terms with all the members of the society which he will head. He prepares for this by inviting the company of common people, even ruffians, typified by Sir John Falstaff and the "gay lads of Eastcheap." The militant faction is provided by a group of rebels, hungry for the throne, led by the fiery Hotspur and the cunning Lord of Worcester.

To be continued