The hero’s journey Shakespeare charts in history plays coming to Hong Kong
Henry V is one of the Bard’s great plays. Presenting it with its two prequels, Henry IV, Parts I and II, as Royal Shakespeare Company will do at Hong Kong Arts Festival, will help audiences understand forces of destiny that shape a great leader
Hal is young and lost but he has to grow up fast. His father has snatched the crown of England, and since he is the heir apparent, Hal is due to inherit a troubled kingdom. His best mate is an old alcoholic called Falstaff, who leads him into all sorts of trouble, but even he has some wisdom from which Hal can learn. The question is: will the young Prince learn about the really important things of life in time to lead his motley troops against the powerful French army?
The three Shakespeare plays of Henry IV, Part I and Part II, and Henry V are a coming-of-age story. They were written in the late 16th century, about a prince who lived in the early 15th century but through the ages, many leading theatre directors have felt that the messages in these three so-called “history” plays speak to their own generation right now.
Henry V is one of the great Shakespeare plays. And with its two prequels being performed together here for the first time by the Royal Shakespeare Company in March as part of this year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival, local audiences have a rare chance to understand what forces of destiny, chance and mischief could possibly combine to make an unruly teenager into a great leader.
The role of Prince Hal (who becomes King Henry V) in this RSC production is charismatically played by 35-year-old Alex Hassell.
“Star Wars is, of course, a massive cultural thing right now,” says Hassell as he and co-actor Sam Marks (who plays Hal’s troublemaking friend Poins) take a break between Henry IV parts one and two at the Barbican Theatre.