Henry V, Noël Coward Theatre - theatre review: Jude Law does full justice to Shakespeare’s conflicted king

Jude Law gives a deftly constructed performance that does justice to the character’s complexity
5 February 2014

Jude Law is a charismatic Henry V in this final instalment of Michael Grandage’s five-show West End season. It’s a production that doesn’t strain for topicality, preferring instead a slightly muted traditionalism.

Law makes an intelligent, conflicted king. He’s a military man who is nonetheless fashionably attired in figure-hugging trousers. Capable of being steely and severe, he is also blessed with charm and relaxed humour.

The play calls for this sense of contradiction. It contains some of Shakespeare’s most quotably patriotic writing, yet raises questions about the effectiveness of propaganda, and Henry’s heroism is undercut by his viciousness.

Law seems to celebrate Henry’s virile style of kingship while also affording us a criticism of his ruthlessness. It’s a deftly constructed performance that does justice to the character’s complexity, though a touch more volatility is needed.

Elsewhere in the cast, Ashley Zhangazha stands out. He’s the Chorus, beautifully expressive, and also the servile Boy who consorts with some of Shakespeare’s grubby low-life figures. Among these, Ron Cook’s Pistol is the most outrageous, especially when munching a raw leek as penance for mocking the Welsh. Matt Ryan’s Fluellen is entertaining, and as Kate, the French princess Henry woos with a torrent of eloquence, Jessie Buckley is on captivating form.

Grandage’s interpretation is fluent. It strips about half an hour off the usual running time. But as it drives along efficiently, it occasionally seems oddly colourless.

The ambitious season put together by Grandage has been packed with big names and has yielded plenty of rewards. With 100,000 tickets priced at £10 it has reached a new generation of theatregoers: 30 per cent of those attending haven’t been to the theatre before. Yet the work has proved uneven. With this Henry V, Grandage isn’t exactly going out on a high. Though several scenes delight, others feel flat. The second half is better than the first, with moments of surprising campfire intimacy, but while it’s admirably lucid, there is a lack of real freshness.

Until February 15 (0844 482 5141, delfontmackintosh.co.uk/MGC)

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