Performance Henry VI, Part 2

poster michael boyd s 2000 production

after original 1592 performances, complete text of 2 henry vi seems have been acted. first recorded performance after shakespeare s day on 23 april 1864 (shakespeare s tercentenary) @ surrey theatre in london, stand-alone performance, director james anderson playing york , cade. of production, illustrated london news wrote, revival, or rather restoration stage, of utterly neglected work, has not been played 270 years. next definite performance in 1889, when george osmond tearle directed stand-alone production @ shakespeare memorial theatre in stratford-upon-avon, starring erskine lewis henry , ellen cranston margaret. in 1899, f.r. benson directed stand-alone production of play @ shakespeare memorial theatre. in 1906, revived play, , included 1 henry vi , 3 henry vi in production of shakespeare s 2 tetralogies, performed on 8 nights. far can ascertained, not first performance of octology, first definite performance of both tetralogy , trilogy. benson himself played henry , wife, constance benson, played margaret.

in 1951, douglas seale directed production @ birmingham repertory theatre, starring paul daneman henry, rosalind boxall margaret, john arnatt york , alfred burke gloucester. 2 henry vi has not been performed stand-alone play since then, although seale s production successful 3 henry vi followed in 1952, , 1 henry vi in 1953, linked casting.

a production made of unedited status came in 1977, @ royal shakespeare theatre, terry hands presented 3 henry vi plays alan howard henry , helen mirren margaret. although production moderately successful @ box office, critically lauded @ time alan howard s unique portrayal of henry. howard adopted historical details concerning real henry s madness performance, presenting character on brink of mental , emotional breakdown. praised staging of battle of st albans, fought between principal characters only, without extras or suggestions of being larger battle, emphasising whole conflict grew small family squabble. possibly reaction recent adaptation of trilogy under general title wars of roses, political, hands attempted ensure own production entirely apolitical; wars of roses study in power politics: central image conference table, , warwick, scheming king-maker, central figure. s not shakespeare. shakespeare goes far beyond politics. politics shallow science. aside howard , mirren, production starred emrys james york , graham crowden gloucester.

chuk iwuji henry vi

under direction of michael boyd play presented @ swan theatre in stratford in 2000, david oyelowo henry, fiona bell margaret, clive wood york, , richard cordery gloucester. play presented 5 other history plays (richard ii, 1 henry iv, 2 henry iv, henry v , richard iii) form complete eight-part history cycle under general title england: histories (the first time rsc had ever attempted stage 8 plays 1 sequence). england: histories revived in 2006, part of complete works festival @ courtyard theatre, henry vi plays again directed boyd, , starring chuk iwuji henry, katy stephens margaret, jonathan slinger york and, reprising role 2000, richard cordery gloucester. when complete works wrapped in march 2007, history plays remained on stage, under shorter title histories, part of two-year thirty-four actor ensemble production. 2 henry vi performed under title henry vi, part 2: england s fall. @ end of two-year programme, entire octology performed on four-day period under title glorious moment; richard ii staged on thursday evening, followed 2 henry iv plays on friday afternoon , evening, 3 henry vi plays on saturday (two afternoon performances , 1 evening performance), , richard iii on sunday evening.

boyd s production garnered attention @ time because of interpolations , additions text. notably, boyd introduced new character trilogy. called keeper, character never speaks, upon death of each major character, keeper (played edward clayton in 2000, , anthony bunsee in 2006/2007), wearing red, walk onto stage , approach body. actor playing body stand , allow himself led off-stage figure. alteration lieutenant orders suffolk s death in 4.1 in fact ghost of lord talbot (played keith bartlett), had been killed in 1 henry vi. additionally, during jack cade s rebellion, ghosts of gloucester, winchester , suffolk appear rebels, , in lauded piece of double casting, clayton , bunsee played dick butcher in respective performances. production particularly noted realistic violence. according robert gore-langton of daily express, in review of original 2000 production, blood severed arm sprayed on lap. human liver slopped floor feet. eyeball scudded past, tongue.

in 2012, trilogy staged @ shakespeare s globe part of globe globe festival, each play performed different balkans based company , offered commentary on recent history of violence in region. 2 henry vi staged national theater of albania, directed adonis filipi, , starring indrit Çobani henry, ermina hysaj margaret, vasjan lami york , kristaq skrami gloucester. in 2013, nick bagnall directed production of trilogy @ globe. 3 plays performed each day, beginning @ midday, under overall title henry vi: 3 plays. 2 henry vi performed under title henry vi: houses of york , lancaster. each of plays edited down 2 hours, , entire trilogy performed cast of fourteen actors. on several specific dates, plays performed @ actual locations of original events took place , streamed live theatre; battlefield productions staged @ towton (battle of towton 3 henry vi), tewkesbury (battle of tewkesbury 3 henry vi), st albans cathedral (first battle of st albans 2 henry vi , second battle of st albans 3 henry vi), , monken hadley common (battle of barnet 3 henry vi). production starred graham butler henry, mary doherty margaret, brendan o hea york , garry cooper gloucester.

the first major american performance in 1935 @ pasadena playhouse in california, directed gilmore brown, part of production of ten shakespearean histories (the 2 tetralogies, preceded king john , succeeded henry viii).

in europe, unedited stagings of play took place @ weimar court theatre in 1857. directed franz von dingelstedt, performed sixth part of octology, 8 plays staged on ten-day period. major production staged @ burgtheater in vienna in 1873, celebrated performance friedrich mitterwurzer winchester. jocza savits directed production of tetralogy @ munich court theatre in 1889 , again in 1906. in 1927, saladin schmitt presented unedited octology @ municipal theatre in bochum. denis llorca staged tetralogy 1 twelve-hour piece in carcassonne in 1978 , in créteil in 1979. in 1999, director ruediger burbach presented 2 henry vi , 3 henry vi @ zurich playhouse. production unique insofar woman (katharina schmoelzer) played henry. margaret played katharina von bock.