I will admit I have always been slightly intimidated by Shakespeare so when Her Campus was invited along to Shakesoc’s first ever performance on campus: Henry V, I was slightly wary.
Knowing the story of Henry V from school I was interested to see how the society would fit all the detail into an hour long performance (they had rehearsed the entire thing in only 48 hours!!) With a script from Propeller Theatre Company, which was then edited by the director Peter Thomas, the 6 man cast set themselves quite a challenge!
However, I was absolutely amazed by the results! The show used no gimmicks or distractions in the way of props and costumes but relied on the competency of the actors. The sporadic addition of music from the cast lent to the atmosphere of the show and proved the talent of the actors.
The set was extremely simple and the costumes basic, with the actors wearing blue chinos and grey tank tops. The performance was incredible and I could hardly believe that it had all been put together in such a short time period. The acting was interspersed with humour, but not to the extent where it distracted from the story, particularly comical was Ryan O’Grady as Katherine, who made the show extremely enjoyable!
The interaction between the characters was fantastic and they all worked extremely well together with no obvious slip ups with lines or actions. Olly McLellen as Henry V was strong and focused in his role, demonstrating fantastic ‘chemistry’ with Katherine, it was hard to believe she was a boy in drag!
All in all it was a truly polished piece and I believe Shakesoc should be extremely proud of what they have accomplished. Hitting the key themes of complex Shakespeare in just an hour is no mean feat and I look forward to seeing what they come up with next, with auditions for their next production running later this week!
Photos: my own.