A fascinating retelling of the famous battle from Shakespeare’s Henry V from the perspective of a minor character. Summary
Rating
Excellent
After Agincourt, currently playing at The Lion & Unicorn theatre, is a monologue that sees Pistol, a character from Shakespeare’s Henry V and the only survivor of the Boar Head’s Tavern, recount his version of the battle of Agincourt. It contrasts significantly with the one presented by the Bard.
This is an intense and intimate experience from the moment the audience enters the pub that houses the theatre. You go from a modern bar to a medieval one, with a single table that will then seat Pistol (Gareth David-Lloyd). The audience become Pistol’s drinking partners, and the character talks directly to the people in modern vernacular, inviting them into the story itself.
Shakespeare’s Henry V presents a glorious king and a glorious battle (thought not in detail), whilst this perspective from writer Peter Mottley imagines the viewpoint of a surviving infantry soldier and disgruntled friend of the king. King Henry is no longer a great figure, becoming someone more concerned with power and image than his people and those he called friends. The ‘glorious’ victory is now just bloody, and at no point does it feel victorious at all. Mottley’s text cleverly mixes the elements of Henry V (as well as the final scene of Henry IV Part II) with military historical research, making a medieval battle feel close to our own times through a more brutal view of what warfare is really like.
David-Lloyd goes above and beyond in his portrayal of Pistol. Starting simply and loudly as a drunk, the character slowly devolves into his anger, his resentment against King Henry V, his pain, his trauma. Every emotion is carefully and exactly depicted in his voice and face. In the moments in which Pistol reminisces something particularly distressing, the actor manages to unfocus his gaze, giving the impression that he is actually seeing what he is talking about. The moments in his performance that moved me the most were those in which he fully expressed his compassion for the people he had lost, the people that remained to grieve alongside him, and the enemy that he fought against in the most traumatising moments of his life. To feel compassion for the enemy is a trait possessed by only the best of men, elevating this Pistol above his Shakespearean counterpart.
I have to highlight the impressive light and sound work present in the play (Venus Raven). The light changes according to Pistol’s monologue, with different colours to denote specific places, moments, and moods. The sounds help immerse the audience into his monologue. Both these elements are very precise and elevate the text and performance into a memorable experience.
This play is not for everyone, as the images presented are graphic and gory, and the language used is extremely crass. They make sense given the context of the play, but this is something worth noting. Nonetheless, After Agincourt is a fascinating reimagining of a familiar character that offers an interesting alternative perspective on the ‘glory’ of war.
Written by: Peter Mottley
Directed by: Paul Olding
Sound Design by: Evan Olding
Light and Sound Technician: Venus Raven
After Agincourt runs at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre until Saturday 5 April.
