Player Kings at Noël Coward Theatre

As Player Kings stakes claim upon the stage of the Noël Coward Theatre, Robert Icke shows once more his talent for creating bold adaptations that are masterfully larger than life in their intensity and drama.

Player Kings is Shakespeare’s Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, a three-hour and 40 minute epic that begins with Henry IV’s coronation and ends with his son’s.

After Richard II’s death, Henry Bolingbroke (Richard Coyle) ascends the throne as King Henry IV. But his reign is threatened by rebels in the North, former friends turned enemies upon the back of broken promises. Meanwhile Henry’s son, Hal (Toheeb Jimoh), leads a raucous life in the taverns of Eastcheap, keeping undesirable company, most notably, John Falstaff (Ian McKellen). Can Hal shake off the shackles of criminality and depravity and become an honourable Prince of Wales, standing alongside his father on the battlefield?

Part two sees Henry IV fall gravely ill. Hal must face his father’s mortality, mend their relationship and prepare for his own reign. Meanwhile Falstaff lives off stolen plaudits and borrowed money and dreams of being handed unearned riches when his young friend takes the throne.

Marking the tenth such collaboration, Hildegard Bechtler once again joins Icke as set and costume designer and follows a now established style of opening the space, large yet simple builds that create a feeling of vastness and dramatic majesty. In this case, brick walls tower over the stage. And never ones to miss a clever staging device, rapid scene changes happen behind partially drawn curtains that make for a seamless experience, often feeling as if a magic trick has been performed on stage.

McKellen is in his element as the comedic old fool Falstaff. Any time he takes the stage it is not to be missed, regardless of what else the show holds. He has an insatiable habit of making every role feel like it was written for him and him alone and this one is no different.

But one could be forgiven for saying the bigger delight is Toheeb Jimoh. To share a stage for most of three hours with Sir Ian McKellen and come off as his equal is no easy task for a young performer. But Jimoh’s Hal is sensational, to the point that the biggest tragedy of Player Kings is that it isn’t five hours plus long to include Henry V.

It would also be unforgivable not to mention Richard Coyle, a powerful presence as the stately King Henry IV. By cutting such an impressive figure and casting such an honourable shadow, his performance gives so much depth to the difficult father-son relationship.

Robert Icke has done it again; Player Kings is an epic that lasts well over three hours and still has the audience gripped and wanting more.

Jim Compton-Hall
Images: Manuel Harlan

Player Kings is at Noël Coward Theatre from 1^st April until 22^nd June 2024. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.