Over the past six decades, Sir Ian McKellen has taken on the role of almost all of William Shakespeare’s male protagonists, but there was one particular character he was “never attracted to” and always turned down.
In a new West End production of Shakespeare’s Henry IV parts one and two, Sir Ian has decided now is the time to take on the role of Falstaff, a character he describes as “the ultimate gangster”.
Player Kings has merged and condensed the two history plays to create one epic story.
It focuses on the relationship between Hal, a young prince who will go on to be Henry V, and his friend, wayward criminal John Falstaff, as they navigate friendship, loyalty, and the clash between responsibility and revelry.
Sir Ian told the BBC he had never felt ready to play the character of Falstaff when he was offered it in the past.
“Actors who have taken on the role say it is verbally very challenging – it seems that the role was written for a particular actor and comedian in Shakespeare’s time, so it’s a bit like being given a script for Michael McIntyre,” he said.
He explained that he almost turned down the the opportunity again, but was “intrigued and eventually persuaded” by director Robert Icke who has “turned Falstaff into a believable character rather than an exaggeration”.
Ted Lasso actor Toheeb Jimoh, who plays Prince Hal, said he was also drawn to Icke’s adaptation because “he wasn’t sentimental about cutting out whatever doesn’t translate to the audiences today”.
“Icke’s a big believer that if Shakespeare was alive today he would be cutting and adapting his own work to make it more accessible,” the 26-year-old actor added.
Even after the ruthless slashing of the two texts, the play’s running time is three-and-a-half hours, but the epic length does not worry the actors.
“To turn this play into bitesize chunks is to take away from the story. It is supposed to feel epic and expansive and so you need this length to give time to every part,” Jimoh said.
His co-star Richard Coyle who plays Henry IV added: “I think it’s a fallacy that you have to continuously hold someone’s attention. I often want my attention to wander slightly because it’s important to have that sense of drifting in and out.
“The best pieces of art are the ones where I am forced to reflect while I’m in it and the effect of engaging in something for a long period of time makes it more profound”.
‘Mixed results’
While the actors may be unconcerned by the running time, some theatre critics noted that the play was “over-long”.
In a three-star review from The Times, Clive Davis said that “Icke’s marathon modern-day Shakespeare production – which runs to nearly four hours – yields such mixed results.”
He added that the in the first half of the evening, a full two hours long, the drama is at its sharpest, but “after the interval, there’s a sense of events being allowed to pile up almost at random”.
Another three-star review by What’s On Stage also referenced the “staid” second half “where both Shakespeare’s text and Icke’s choices feel much more lacklustre and uninspired”.
“There may be mighty players, but this occasionally feels like less than the sum of its parts,” Alex Wood said.
In a four-star review, The Standard’s Nick Curtis noted that Icke “makes clear how these plays speak to our times: they ask what it means to be a man and a monarch, and whether we should dedicate our lives to duty or pleasure”.
Making the play accessible to audiences and relevant to modern times was at the forefront of the actors minds, and for Sir Ian it was particularly important that young people engage with the show.
“I regret that young people aren’t being taught enough about Shakespeare and I feel a responsibility as an actor as I believe we are the best people to teach them about his works.”
Jimoh said he felt confident young people will relate to the play.
“It’s all about a young man who is growing up, figuring out who they are and finding their own identity. As a young man myself I certainly relate to my character and I think many other people will as well.”
He added that some of the words have been slightly changed to make it more understandable.
“The point of this show is that you can be totally new to Shakespeare and still follow what is going on.”
‘McKellen stirs the soul’
Critics unanimously praised Jimoh’s performance as the young prince – Time Out described the actor as “fabulous” and said he “feels startlingly a piece with the vengeful older version of himself we meet in ‘Henry V'”, while The Guardian said he “plays the fun-loving prince well, as he is buffeted between a severe patriarch in King Henry and a wayward proxy father in Falstaff”.
However, Arifa Akbar noted in her three-star review that “the coming-of-age drama around Hal and his difficult journey towards royal duty feels slightly in the shadows” because it is McKellen’s character that steals the show.
A four-star review from The Telegraph praised McKellen, and said his performance “stirs the soul” as he plunges “from sackswilling, swaggering cheer to hangdog melancholy”.
“This account may not be one for the annals, but we surely exit eternally grateful that McKellen added the challenge to his bucket list; a must-witness,” Dominic Cavendish wrote.
After its run at London’s Noel Coward theatre, the show will tour the country, something Sir Ian was very keen on.
“The play itself has so many settings across England, from the taverns of the East End to the rural peaceful countryside of Gloucestershire and so it only makes sense that we take this show all around, giving the opportunity to as many people as possible to see it.”
