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Review Henry 1V – York Shakespeare Project For those of us aurally paralysed and visually starved by the ‘Voyage Round My Father’ genre of contemporary theatre York Theatre Project’s Henry 1V, Parts 1 and 2 provided intense relief for the ‘groundlings’ and a reminder of why they once went to the theatre, before it became ‘highbrow’ and the province of the ‘intellectual’. With a minimum of props and the non-purpose built setting of a medieval church, the director, Tom Cooper, has managed to produce two plays that offer an unforgettable theatrical experience, involving both eyes and ears, and almost touch. The audience to stage set-up is so intimate that you might find Falstaff lying, apparently dead, almost within reach of your foot. The three-sided audience seating also adds to this sense of involvement in the action. The lighting was masterly, silently creating the sense of a change of scene, the sense of day or night, and the focus for entrances, and for concentration on a particular character. Both Graham Davison and Karen Millar deserve congratulations for this. There were a number of notable performances from the actors involved. Toby Gordon, as Hotspur, was mesmeric in Part 1, evincing awesome stage presence and having an ability to reflect and extend the character through his body language so that the part became much more than just the lines spoken. Esme Wise also drew the eye on stage and managed to redeem a difficult part, as Lady Percy, from farce. Robin Sanger, as Falstaff, gave a magnificent performance. His use of his eyes, to convey mood, is unusual in a stage actor, but was extremely effective. His stance on the stage, with legs slightly bent, and backside akimbo, also managed to convey character without a word spoken. There was a slight problem with his stomach stuffing, which refused to stay in place in one of the performances, but gravity was always a problem for Sir John, one felt. This was theatre as it ought to be, the creation of a few talented people on a bare floor, intimate and gripping, involving the audience in a feat of imagination and ‘outre corps’ that will stay with those who were privileged to watch it for a long time.