Henry V at the Globe

For some reason I haven't found time to say what an excellent time I had down at Shakespeare's Globe last Thursday (apart from the hayfever set off by the thatched roof). They were doing Henry V, not a play I'm very familiar with although some of the lines are inevitably in one's head (O! for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention!; Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more Or close the wall up with our English dead! ). A play almost devoid of theatrical bombast its brilliantly paced variety (soliloquy, comedy, action, etc) still stands up and this was a good if not a great production. The play inevitably raises questions of war and peace though I found the interest in language much more interesting. There is an amusing scene (mostly in French) where the French Princess learns some English from her maid. The play also features a Welshman Fluellen and that was very well done (with a few adlibs such as esgob Dafydd and Aberystwyth [why is that word so funny?] though the many look yous seem to be original). I'd love to hear Rob Brydon doing the part. Of course, archetypal Englishman as he may be, Henry V was technically Welsh (born in the same county as yours truly - Ay, he was porn at Monmouth, Captain Gower. .. I'll tell you there is good men porn at Monmouth) and that is alluded to. Henry says to Fluellen "I am Welsh, you know, good countryman". Of course, Shakespeare just loves irony and there is plenty where that came from in the play. The whole Globe project really grabs me (especially the idea of letting groundlings in for a fiver). Apart from the occasional plane passing over you might think you were back in the 17th century at times.