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REVIEW
37th Outdoor Summer Shakespeare, Henry V at Auckland University's architecture carpark. Directed by Sam Trubridge. Reviewed by Susan Budd.
Henry V, Shakespeare's grand piece of propagandist theatre, was masterfully filmed by Laurence Olivier in 1945 as a celebration of patriotic fervour. In the carpark of the School of Architecture at Auckland University, it is transformed into a chronicle of tribal battles in the midst of urban decay and anomy similar to the bleak version of the future depicted in Blade Runner.
The noble lords of France and England are transformed into punk streetkids of both sexes. They fight dirty, swig beer and vodka from the bottle and speak the blank verse in virtually incomprehensible shouts and grunts. The chorus is a rock band, belting out its lines in a cacophony of heavy metal or, most effectively, in sepulchral whispers.
The text, particularly in the final scenes, is treated with scant respect. Henry's courtship of the French princess, Katherine, is played as a violent assault, almost a rape. The dialogue is shouted with heavy irony to give the words the opposite to their actual meaning. One does not have to be a purist to find such violence to a play's intent offensive.
The greatest offence is violence, however, and it is displayed in all its guises from verbal abuse to sickening slaughter.
The strength of Sam Trubridge's production lies in the energy of its performances and the well-choreographed action. There is scarcely a still moment as the players rocket around the carpark, scattering serried ranks of rubbish bins, vaulting on to the roofs of the two old cars which serve as the war chariots of the armies and revving their motorbikes. The set is brilliantly effective and the space splendidly utilised, with battles fought on a concrete bridge, from which red banners fall like rivers of blood.
The costume design is stunning. Rubber and PVC are complemented by punk hairdos for the English rabble army, while the marginally more civilised French wear a paradoxical combination of the fleur de lys and the tricolor.
With the notable exception of Callandra Smith, whose portrayal of Exeter is a model of clarity, the actors have problems with vocal projection for which their commitment, energy and athleticism almost compensate.
Henry V takes a punkish turn
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