Summary:

Rating: ★★★★

Running Dates: Wednesday 3rd July - Saturday 6th July 2024

Where to see it: Bristol Hippodrome

Duration: 3 hours and 40 minutes (including interval)

Keywords: Shakespeare, Dramatic, Comical

Review

“A divided country, leadership crumbling, corruption in the air. Welcome to England.”

“Hal wasn’t born to be king. Only now, it seems, he will be. His father longs for him to leave behind his friends in the taverns of Eastcheap. War is on the horizon. But will Hal ever come good?”

Player Kings is a new adaption on Shakespeare’s original plays, Henry IV Part 1 and Part 2.

Directed by Robert Icke, Player Kings offers a modern twist to a Shakespeare classic – the modern jokes, smoking, and gunshot action sure sets the tone.

Regardless of if you’re a Shakespeare fan, you will be glued to the production, partly the first half. It’s both easy to follow and somewhat educational with the helpful use of LED text detailing the historic moments and commentating on where the present scene is set. 

The use of stage design elevated this production, the layout changed over 5 times, with it being both a home, a pub, hospital, royal residency, and a war zone.

The acting was superb especially with great interpretation of Shakespearean.  Kudos to David Semark for stepping in as Sir John Falstaff after Ian McKellen had an incident a few days before in the West End, he played the role brilliantly.

One thing for sure was I definitely wasn’t ready for the fighting scenes! Be prepared to jump out your seat. That being said, you will be wowed with the burst of energy, sound effects and suspense that come with it.

Overall, I’d highly recommend I’d highly recommend for Shakespeare fans, or if you’re intrigued to see a comical interpretation of history. Although I would say, the second half lacked the claw gripping action of the first.

Standout Quote or Moment: The war scene – how the sound, lighting and stage presence all came together was a masterpiece!

To get tickets for the show click here

We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review.

Written by Tamara Lawrence