Colourful New Henry

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32118, 14 October 1969, Page 12

Colourful New Henry

e A new production of a (“King Henry VHI,” di- . rected by Trevor Nunn e and starring Dame J P®ggy Ashcroft, brought r back Shakespeare’s last c play to Stratford last 1 week after a 20-year abt sence, Reuter’s drama critic reports. k The production, which was I enthusiastically received at e the Royal Shakespeare 1 Theatre, is the last to enter s the present reason’s reperb toire and the third of a s trilogy of seldom-performed late plays, also including 0 “Pericles” and “The Winter’s i- Tale.” s These two romances have f a theme of grace and redemipe tion which Trevor Nunn sees :- as carried forward in a historical drama which contains

s no warlike activity and ends » with a patriotic plea for ■ “peace, plenty, love and s truth." s The theme is skilfully 1 brought out in this producs tion which ends in the great s theatrical flourish of Cran- . mer’s panegyric of the first t Queen Elizabeth on a stage s ablaze with the white and s gold pageantry of a royal I christening. r Actors standing among the audience and chanting, > “Peace, plenty, love and

truth,” while the whole cast sang a hymn of praise, added an emotional note. _ This was one of the highlights of an evening which acquired an unexpected Brechtian flavour from the use of a white screen with projected captions explaining each forthcoming scene. The procedure seemed more distracting than helpful in an episodic drama that speaks for itself; but it allowed time for brief scene changes on a stage for which John Bury had designed as a permanent background a composite relief of Tudor London. As the repudiated Queen Katherine. Dame Peggy Ashcroft scored another personal

triumph with her regal scorn' in the trial scene and moving! quality of the Queen's last' moments. In the other great role of I Cardinal Wolsey, Brewster Mason found a striking; grandeur in the disgraced! prelate's acceptance of hisi fate. As the King, Donald, Sinden, looking like a! Holbein painting. played effectively on a single note . of bluff authority. But—apart from the Queen and Wolsey—the two other outstanding performances were those of Richard Pasco as the ill-fated Buckingham and of Emrys James as I Cranmer.