Henry IV, part two

the long version

This valuable introduction to Henry IV Part Two as a performance text draws on traditional methods of performance analysis as well as theatre semiotics, historical analysis, feminism and cultural materialism. Barbara Hodgdon demonstrates how each intersects with sociocultural circumstances, producing a dialogue between a transhistorical 'Merrie England' and the historically local circumstances of present-day theatrical and political cultures. The key stagings discussed include those of Michael Redgrave, Terry Hands, Trevor Nunn and Michael Bogdanov. Ranging beyond the bounds of the conventional theatre, Barbara Hodgdon also looks at Orson Welles' film adaptation, Chimes at Midnight, and at David Giles' production for the BBC/Time-Life Shakespeare series.