APT

Jul 03, 2008 02:16

Shakespeare tonight! At an awesome stage in the woods! As I now think it should be!

Much gratitude to the ever-wondrous izzybeth for taking me!

Brief-immediate thoughts on play behind the few-of-you-are-likely-to-be-as-dorky-as-I cut...

The play was a smooshed-together production of both parts of Henry IV, which was particularly awesome because it’s the middle of my favorite Shakespeare cycle (Richard II-Henry V). It was a quality production, and well-acted, and awesome to see… (And now I’m nesting happily on my heroin chic futon mattress and debating whether to sneak back to my old apartment and root through the boxes of my books to find my copy of the complete works…) But also, at intermission, izzybeth told me she was rooting for Hotspur, and I kind of almost had to agree.

This Hal played the part rather differently than I’ve always read it, and I think the over-all effect was to be fairly depressing. In general, the character came off as less semi-sympathetic too-intelligent rule-questioning people-interested asinine and more as just an asshole. This is a Hal who discusses his ability to fit and be treated like a real person by the poorer of his subjects not in a tone of delighted wonderment but as an almost self-satisfied accolade. In particular, the final few scenes-those in which we theoretically see him become a responsible adult and leader-were full of anger. When he asks the chief justice (who had arrested him in his hellion days) why he shouldn’t hate said justice, it came off alpha male posturing-prove it-rather than honestly quizzical. And his final monologue to Falstaff was rife with bombast and cruelty, whereas in the past I’ve always read that speech as perhaps necessarily cold and harsh but still poignant, very human, and revealing of both sacrifice and wisdom. That speech-in which he offers his old thief-friend a pension so that he won’t have to see him in court, and simultaneously orders him to keep away and offers the possibility of reconciliation should said friend reform-is supposed to show us that this man has qualities which will make him an excellent leader for a troubled country; most notably an understanding and respect for humanity and a willingness to grant second chances and forgiveness. But tonight’s Hal came off as instead simply the bigger/grown-up version of the worst stereotype of what he was; something like a football jock transformed into the football coach-just an asshole with more power and a new determination to assume the postures of respectability. What this may suggest about adulthood and manhood and leadership are not particularly things I desire to think much on.

It must be mentioned that the final bit of staging was intensely hot. After his rejection by the king, when Falstaff babbles to his friends “…I’ll be the man yet, that shall make you great…” his friends wander off without him, and he faces the back of Hal who was walking up one of the theater aisles with a spotlight on him-at that line, Hal posed for a moment, then strove determinedly off. Squee! (OK, it meant they cut the last little bit of the play out, but I forgave them, because mmmmmmm). But even though I loved this bit of staging, it simultaneously reinforces their apparent interpretation of the play; this bombastic, self-absorbed old liar is, perhaps, indeed, the man who made Hal. It seems to suggest a final questioning note; how will he be as a king? (Of course, we’ve all read Henry V so we know things turn out just grand until the next generation. He’s all king of the people and rules well and defeats France and has the world’s stupidest ever speech about war which nonetheless feels good and inspirational, and also has a few more interesting notes about leadership and war.)
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