Henry IV Part 2

"King Henry's health is failing as a second rebellion against his reign threatens to surface. Intent on securing his legacy, he is uncertain that his son Hal is a worthy heir, believing him more concerned with earthly pleasures than the responsibility of rule. Sir John Falstaff is sent to the countryside to recruit fresh troops. Amongst the unwitting locals, opportunities for embezzlement and profiteering prove impossible to resist as Falstaff gleefully indulges in the business of lining his own pockets. As the King's health continues to worsen, Hal must choose between duty and loyalty to an old friend.

Press Reviews "Shakespeare's two greatest plays have always been a defining experience for RSC directors. Gregory Doran now puts his decisive seal on the company by offering a production that, like last year's Richard II, combines richness of texture with psychological insight. It also contains a major performance from Antony Sher as Falstaff." (The Guardian) "Performed on the mighty thrust stage of the RSC's main house in Stratford, the productions have an admirably assured grasp of the plays' panoramic sweep, moving with fluency and a fine feel for thematic counterpoint between care-racked court and lax, frowsty Eastcheap, boozer and battlefield, urban and pastoral." (The Independent) "Here is Shakespeare perfect for both teenagers and old romantics. We have a pulsatingly deranged Hotspur, Sir Antony Sher's typically mannered Falstaff, some memorable cameos - and hairdos worthy of a bonkers Hollywood B film. " (The Daily Mail) "He has played Richard III, Shylock, Leontes, Macbeth and Prospero to huge acclaim. But can Sir Antony Sher, one of our most Shakespeare-steeped theatrical knights, give us a Falstaff to remember? .... The answer is yes. A benign grin plastered on his rubicund face, this big-bearded, pot-bellied knave is first seen emerging from the bedclothes under which Alex Hassell's lusty Harry has been romping with two maids." (The Daily Telegraph) "Visually Greg Doran's new production is a treat. A great interpretation." (What's on Stage) "Antony Sher is an insatiable and ebullient Falstaff. It's a performance that combines clarity and complexity - fruity, throaty, here and there a little overripe but always generous and detailed. He captures the warmth of Shakespeare's famously flawed knight - his delight in excess, blustering vitality and sparks of youthful exuberance. And even when he's at his most outrageous, Sher's Falstaff wears the expression of an affronted storyteller who can't quite believe that we don't find him winningly modest." (The Evening Standard) "Opening in the run-up to the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth, these productions are a real treat: intelligent, accessible and superbly performed. Sher's Falstaff is a joy, but the same can be said about so much of both these productions." (The Stage) CastJasper Britton (Henry IV)Antony Sher (Falstaff)Alex Hassell (Hal)Paola Dionisotti (Quickly)Oliver Ford Davies (Shallow)Jim Hooper (Silence) Stage Director: Gregory DoranTelevision Director: Robin LoughDesigner: Stephen Brimson Lewis Catalogue Number: OA1163DDate of Performance: 2014Running Time: 195 minutesSound: LPCM & DTS Master Audio 5.1Aspect Ratio: 16:9 AnamorphicSubtitles: EN/FR/DELabel: Opus Arte"