Theatre
WhatsTheirNames Theatre
St Julian’s

Shakespeare may be more universally well-known for his comedies and tragedies, but in his time it was his History Plays, based on the political power struggles of the many British monarchs, which were immensely popular.

It was a brave move on WhatsTheirNames Theatre to attempt to give their audience a taster of Shakespeare’s history plays this year as part of Evenings on Campus. However – the evening itself, titled We Live to Tread on Kings, was not put up on the university campus at all.

This year’s concept was to take the university to the people and branch out in different locations with the use of a trailer which was parked in the Tigulio car park, just beneath Ryan’s in St Julian’s. While the idea was admirable, I found that the choice of location was quite distracting because of the sheer amount of noise pollution which interfered with the performers’ projection, despite their best efforts to overcome it. The silent generator which provided power for the performance was not particularly helpful either.

Conceived as a chronological overview of the considerable number of Henrys and Richards who predated the Elizabeths, Charleses, Williams and Georges, We Live to Tread on Kings was a well-structured piece which examined some of the most powerful, at times humorous and always significant scenes from the history plays cycle.

Philip Leone-Ganado provided both the prologue taken from Henry V and the epilogue from Henry VIII – a combination which worked very well and seamlessly bookended the hour-long series of scenes. It is regrettable that attendance was not very strong because the hard work involved in such a one-off production was under-appreciated.

Leone Ganado’s strong voice and subtle humour, particularly in the prologue, were well received, but it was his interaction with Claire Bonello’s Queen Margaret which revealed the solid characterisation he endowed Richard, Duke of York, with.

Bonello showed a consistent development in the way she conveyed her innocent Princess Margaret who was wooed very ineffectively by Joe Zammit’s Earl of Suffolk in a scene from Henry VI Part 1; then became a ruthless monarch by Henry VI Part 3.

Zammit breathed life into the more humorous characters from the bumbling and romantically inept Suffolk, to the low-born pretender Jack Cade in Henry VI Part 2, to the ever rascally and much-loved Falstaff opposite Yannick Massa’s Prince Hal in Henry IV Part 1.

Massa’s soliloquy on the death of kings from Richard II was unfortunately rather drowned by background noise and detracted from what I am sure was a moving speech – judging by his commendable composure and expression – but his self-controlled Prince Hal made up for this.

A well-structured piece which examined some of the most powerful, at times, humorous and always significant scenes from the History Plays cycle

Maxine Brimmer was another actress whose composure was well portrayed as Kate, wife to Henry Hotspur, played by her real-life husband, Nathan Brimmer. There is just something about a couple whose off-stage chemistry helps their on-stage personae.

Maxine Brimmer made a remarkable change in character when she played the peasant Smith, to Zammit’s Jack Cade and her husband’s Dick. Together, they put forward a merry, if ridiculous, front while exposing the hardships which years of war had ravaged on the common folk.

Annelise Abela’s Clerk of Catham was duly unnerved by their attitude and threats, but it was her Joan of Arc (Henry VI Part 1) that caught my attention, more than her vapid Queen Isabella; as Joan, Abela controlled the scene and paced it well.

We Live to Tread on Kings deserved a better location and was a well-constructed showcase of some of the most memorable scenes from the history plays: a good job all round.