Bridge Theatre, London
Nicholas Hytner’s production plays like a thriller, while Brigerton star Bailey glitters with feeling in a potently physical modern-dress production
Long before Bridgerton, there was theatre for Jonathan Bailey, from roles at the RSC as a child actor onwards. His ease and aptitude on stage is evident here yet he is still a revelation, lighting up this play about a king’s misrule and downfall. As the less performed opening of Shakespeare’s history quartet of “Henriads”, it is an exploration of power, reflecting on the superannuated concept of a king’s divine rule and its unseating after a rebellion by exiled cousin, Henry Bullingbrook.
Nicholas Hytner, as director, smooths away most of the play’s creakiness with a pared-down production that has the pace and intrigue of a thriller. It is muscular in its look and Bailey singularly shines, his luminosity putting the others slightly in the shade.
