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RSC Brings On the History Plays, en Masse

by Zoe Strimpel
Sun, 20 Apr 2008

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Can you have too much of a good thing? When it comes to Shakespeare, perhaps not. Thus we have the arrival of the Royal Shakespeare Company's epic production of all eight of the Bard's history plays. Under the guidance of Michael Boyd, the RSC is offering an unprecedented theatrical marathon: "Richard II"; "Henry IV," parts 1 and 2; "Henry V"; all three parts of "Henry VI," and "Richard III" (total running time: 1,389 minutes). The scheduling of the shows, at Camden's Roundhouse, means that the audience aiming to watch all eight might well get slammed with "Richard II," both installments of "Henry IV," and "Henry V" within 24 hours. A break of up to a few weeks is possible before the "Henry VI" trio and "Richard III," if you start the cycle early enough.

There has been much talk of "limbering up" and so forth for the plays — as if for an endurance test — but critics have been ecstatic. An unparalleled sense of English history, particularly through the 15th and 16th centuries, seems to be the crowning achievement of the cycle. That, and some awesome acting.

Wrote the critic Nicholas de Jongh in the Evening Standard: "I emerged from this 12 1/2 hour marathon ['Richard II' through 'Henry V'] — which is just the first of two parts — feeling as if I had not only touched hands with history but been intensely pleasured by it too. All the best pleasure, though, as masochists will tell you, comes with a little suffering. So it proved."

And what a feat for the cast: Actors took on 14 roles, plus understudying. You've got to hand it to the RSC. Whether or not you're man or woman enough to take this on is another story.

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