This is the second in Phyllida Lloyd’s series of all-female Shakespeares and, like Julius Caesar, it is set in a women’s prison. But, where in Caesar the action reflected the prison’s own internal power struggles, what we get here is a more straightforward reading: only at the end, after the rejection of Falstaff, do we feel that the prisoners’ pent-up emotions threaten the institution’s iron discipline.
Lloyd boils the two plays down to a straight-through, two-hour version: the focus is mainly on part one and, by casting black actors as the rebels, Lloyd hints at the ethnic divisions within society. But the more fascinating division is between the different approaches to the text among a highly talented cast. Harriet Walter, one of the best Shakespeareans alive, brings a troubled authority to the king and it is noticeable that Ann Ogbomo, who was part of the RSC History cycle, plays Worcester with the same meticulous attention to the verse.
Elsewhere the approach is more directly physical. Clare Dunne as Hal sports a Chelsea shirt bearing the name of Cesc Fàbregas and shows something of his controlled aggression, while Jade Anouka is a memorably pugnacious Hotspur: one of the best touches is the sight of Hotspur and his fellow rebels doing a strenuous workout before the big battle. Meanwhile, Ashley McGuire plays Falstaff as a diamond Cockney geezer with a sharp wit and a strong sense of self-preservation.
As a production, it is vigorously entertaining and a welcome release from the tonal monotony of male-dominated Shakespeare. But the question of why a group of women prisoners should be doing this particular play is never answered. The propulsive action also means there is little time to explore the darker aspects of the text, such as Falstaff’s predatory cruelty or Hal’s icy calculation. I enjoyed the evening without ever feeling, as I did with Julius Caesar, that the act of putting on a play about rebellion itself posed a threat to an inflexible prison authority.
• Until 29 November. Box office: 0844 871 7624. Venue: Donmar Warehouse, London.
