Shakespeare Globe

Henry IV Part 1

by William Shakespeare

Until 2 October
To book tickets online please click here »

**** 'One of this popular theatre’s finest achievements... Roger Allam strikes me as the best Falstaff for 20 years... (His) ripe, roguish charisma is as delightful as it is dazzling... The supporting roles are excellently played... I can’t wait to see Part 2' Daily Telegraph Full review »

**** 'It's our national pageant, and it's gloriously available in London's most informal and genuinely popular theatre' The Independent

**** 'Dominic Dromgoole offers an impassioned take on Shakespeare's story of a troubled usurper, a rebel age, a dissolute prince and his Falstaff... (Allam is) a Falstaff to treasure' The Times

**** 'Magnificent Roger Allam... An exuberant performance... Wonderful' Metro

**** 'Jamie Parker (is) terrific to watch... Ever-magnificent Roger Allam... They play off each other with joyous ease' Evening Standard

**** 'Allam makes one of the best Falstaffs in recent memory... Enjoys great chemistry with the whole ensemble' Daily Mail

**** 'Exhilarating, powerful and poignant' Sunday Express

'Dromgoole's intelligent, faithful and entertaining new production... Starring Roger Allam, the Globe's players deliver a delightful reading of Shakespeare's hit play... Shakespeare lovers looking for an authentic rendering of an English classic should hotfoot it to Southwark to catch a memorable night's work' The Observer

'You feel the warmth in the Globe production: there are precious moments when the hearty savour of Shakespeare’s world takes possession of ours... (Allam is) a truly great Falstaff' Simon Schama in the Financial Times

'Dominic Dromgoole's enjoyable revival... Parker's superb Hal... Roger Allam's deliciously comic portrayal... Swaggers with gleeful high spirits and a genuine sense of history on the march' Guardian

'Hal, portrayed with marvellous lightness by Jamie Parker... Roger Allam is superb, commanding the difficult Globe stage with such shambolic majesty... William Gaunt is hilarious as doddering Shallow' Time Out

'An extraordinary panorama of England... Allam's irresistible Falstaff' Sunday Times

Prince Hal, son of Henry IV, seems to be squandering his life among the whores, boozers and petty rogues of Eastcheap. And the greatest of these rogues is the fat knight, Sir John Falstaff, a liar, glutton, lecher, cheat, braggart, fool and sponger who also possesses wit, warmth, intelligence and a gigantic sense of fun. But beside these scenes of glorious misrule gathers a nationwide rebellion led by the Duke of Northumberland and his charismatic son, Hotspur.

The first instalment of Shakespeare's gripping account of the rise of Hal from idle barfly to monarch-in-waiting combines compelling power politics with the hilarious antics of Falstaff, Shakespeare's greatest comic creation.

Roger Allam was recently in La Cage aux Folles in the West End, and won the 2002 Olivier Award for Privates on Parade at the Donmar.

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