The Best Guide for the Neston Area

Neston Players' Henry V - Read Rave Reviews Here

Reviews of Neston Players' recent production of Henry V:

"Over the years I have seen many fine performances by Neston Players and this week's production of Henry V is no exception. In fact I would go as far as to say it is their best production. Paul Kirkbright's final stint at directing before he moves on is a stylish, energised, powerful, modern production of what is my favourite Shakespearean history-play. I wasn't sure how I would react to the cuts and changes but it surpassed all my expectation and the whole experience goes down as one of the best amateur Shakespearean production I have seen because this was professional at every turn.

The stylized set and costumes, excellent sound and lighting and good use of TV screen was bold and creative. The cast were all first-rate to a man, or should I say woman, as this director was not afraid to be gender-blind and the women held their own against the men. It's a wonder there were any male actors left in other groups as, although not strictly Wirral, Neston attracted the crème de la Wirral when it comes to male actors.
As this was a modern-take we started with the chorus as reporters for the BBC and Fox News setting the scene. Charlotte Cummings mellifluous voice reciting the poetry and Will O'Neill with his convincing American accent giving us some character.

Adam Stubbs was Henry V, and it would seem he was born to play this role as it was delivered with such understanding and commitment. Dan Short's cocaine sniffing Dauphin was a brilliant portrait and gave us the two opposites in young men. Another young man who stood out for me was James Dorman as Montjoy, whose voice I could have listened to all afternoon (and evening). The superb versatility of Richard Dodd who played both Williams and MacMorris, though such different characterisation you might never guess it was the same actor. Then the familiar Hill-barkers like Stuart Rathe (King of France) Simon Garland (Exeter) and Martin Riley as the Welsh Fluellen and many, many others lending their experience and talent to the piece, for the Shakespearean text was spoken exceptional well. Even down to the Boy (Kristopher Duffin)-whose French was very convincing and whose death gave me a lump in my throat.

Paul Kirkbright has certainly left an amazing legacy he should be proud of, he will be a great loss and for any new directors - a hard act to follow.
5 ***** "

"Oh my Goodness me !! What a complete triumph.. such a fantastic piece of genius by the inimitable PK and performances that are worthy of RSC ! So so so enjoyed a wonderful evening of fabulous contemporary Shakespeare at its' best , I was totally entranced and felt as though I was living in it from start to finish, sooooo many Congratulations to the whole company.. Production Team , amazing Cast, Back Stage Crew and front of house,.. what a Team !? It was blinkin brilliant !! Loved loved loved it."

"Tremendous memorable production of Henry V. Well done to everyone."

"A huge well done to all tonight, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment and am so grateful to have been allowed to play even a small part in its set up, thank you to all of you for making me feel welcome and part of the group from the moment I walked into the civic hall Saturday morning last weekend. Cant wait to come down Saturday to help once again."

"Folks, that was utterly sensational! What an incredible performance! I've never enjoyed a Shakespeare show more than the piece of theatrical brilliance I saw tonight 😊 Every single member of cast and crew should feel exceptionally proud! Of course a huge congratulations has to go to the visionary Paul Kirkbright, along with Stuart Rathe and Martin Riley. It was stunning guys. To anyone who doesn't already have a ticket, I beg you, go and see 'Henry V'. Honestly, it's far too good to miss!"

"I had a few friends watching last night and feedback has been very positive, comments include: "What a rip-roaring performance!", "I didn't realise it would be so intimate, but that just added to the enjoyment" and "It must have taken a lot of hard work and hours of rehearsal by all the cast to produce such a polished performance." Fantastic feedback for what is such an exciting production to be in. Onwards and upwards, once more unto.... etc etc..."

"Omg, this is one of those "so proud to be part of Neston Players" nights. Stunning performances in a brilliantly entertaining production. We were virtually at capacity and the performance ended to rapturous applause." 

Original article follows:

Henry V is not happy with just ruling England. Oh no, he's after France as well....

The coming battles will be fierce, but the prize is huge.  How does Henry galvinate his weary troops? Only with one of the most famous speeches in theatrical history... 'Once more unto the breach, dear friends!' 

Well, if all that wasn't exciting enough, put it together with the multiple award-winning Neston Players' largest cast in recent memory, a passionate Director - Paul Kirkbright - and his team of deputies, an exceptional sound and light package and what you've got is an outright theatrical treat for Neston audiences, in the Players' first foray into Shakespeare.

Apart from the full cast photo above, the images in this article were leaked from the technical rehearsal earlier this week - and give an intriguing teaser of what is to come.

www.nestonplayers.co.uk

Report this article as inappropriate

Comments

Rob Ward

At 23:23 on 10th November 2016, Rob Ward commented:

Just when you think Neston Players can't get any better, they get better. Tonight's performance was brilliant. Shakespeare's words are worth retelling in modern format. We had smartphones, tablets, Skype, machine guns and hand grenades. There is a huge part for Henry, and Adam Stubbs is a highly accomplished actor. The text was abbreviated, so we had no conspirators to execute, and no Princess Kate for Henry to woo and marry, but two parts were played by women, including the Archbishop of Canterbury. A key message is that war is horrible, and a heavy responsibility lies on those who instigate war.
Neston is fortunate to have such talent. There are still tickets for the Saturday matinee: I recommend it.

[Report this comment as inappropriate]

Angela C

At 10:31 on 14th November 2016, Angela C commented:

Neston Players do it again! I went to the matinee performance of HenryV and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. I've been to a number of the group's plays and have quite often thought that it would be difficult for them to improve on what I had seen and time and again I have been proved wrong by this extremely talented group.Again Neston Players gave an absolutely sterling performance with their latest play HenryV Neston people should be very proud of them.

[Report this comment as inappropriate]

You need to log in before you can do that! It's only a quick registration process to join the AMA network and completely free.