pumpkinstrokemarrow

Tremendous play - despite the introduction in the Arden sniffing about whether the sequel was as good as the original - and an adequate production. Good bits and bad bits. For once, not too long at over three hours including interval.

Falstaff rather dominated the proceedings and I ended up by thinking that there was rather too much of him. Over exposed. He came across as a man who was rather unpleasant - a scrounger, thief and drunkard - without being truly comic. Not even a comic in his declining years.

Percy's widow put on a good show rating her trimming father-in-law, Northumberland. Pulled him up good and proper for banging on about his honour.

Henry the older started a bit weak but ended strongly. Most impressive and Lear-like. Leaving me with the thought that, perhaps, part of the point is that he was not a very good king. He was the matinee idol who became king almost by accident and who did not grow into his new role.

Another thought was that they are all tainted. Some of the people in the play are more successful than others - but none of them are very nice people. The nearest misses come from the lower orders - leaving us with the reminder that, on the whole, one does not get on in this world by being nice. Give or take the odd saint with charisma.

Lord Chief Justice, Warwick and the archbishop weak. Globe still finding it hard to field men with the presence that one supposes such people would have had in real life. Lancaster better. Mistress Quickly still too old. Surrender of Coleville to Falstaff weak.

They managed not to turn it into a musical farce with lashings of song and dance - which I had feared they might. But they did manage a bit of peeing and spewing and they did over paint the contrasts. Between, for example, Falstaff and his contemporary Shallow. Shallow was, after all, a respectable provincial type who had made some money over the years. Inappropriate to make him a silly old fool in his dotage. With a penchant for boys to boot.

All in all, a good outing. The play shines through. I would even go again should occasion arise. Also good value for money: convenient to Waterloo and a lot cheaper than the West End.

After the event I find that Roger Allam who played Falstaff (see http://www.rogerallam.co.uk/) also played the scum bag but best selling author in Tamara Drew. A film in which he has the decency to end up dead. See September 15.

I also find out that they need an awful lot of people to run the Globe. They might have twenty actors on the payroll - during the season at least - but they also have lots of supporting staff who are presumably on the payroll all year round. I counted 64 in the first of the three and a half columns of them. They also have lots of governance. Almost up to National Trust standards with a board of 20 or so trustees and a council of 100 or so councillors. What on earth happens when the council meets? Far too many people to have a working meeting with. Or is it just a way of getting big names and donor names onto the programmes with style?