Henry Iv, Part One (Shakespeare in Performance)

This work is from a series on the performing and staging styles used in Shakespeare's plays. This text covers how the play has been presented by a number of theatres and theatre companies (eg, the Old Vic, the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, the RSC), directors (eg, Peter Hall, Terry Hands, Orson Welles, Anthony Quayle, Cedric Messina, David Giles and Michael Bogdanov) and leading actors (eg, Olivier, Richardson, Burrell), from 1945 to 1986. When it was first performed in 1596, the play was immediately seen as a Falstaff play, with the fat knight being quoted as though everyone knew his lines. One decisive change marks the 20th century staging of the work. What had been a "Falstaff" play or, on occasion, a "Hotspur" play - a play about one or both of the most flamboyant characters - came to be seen as a study of political power with Prince Hal as the central character.