SOURCE: Jackson, Russell. Review of Henry IV, Part 2.” Shakespeare Quarterly 52, no. 1 (spring 2001): 107-23.

In the following excerpted review of the 2000 Shakespeare season at Stratford-upon-Avon, Jackson describes the relatively “somber” mood of Michael Attenborough's Henry IV, the production's thematic emphasis on fathers and sons, and several strong performances, especially Desmond Barrit's witty but reticent Falstaff and William Houston's enigmatic Prince Henry.

The two parts of Henry IV were presented with sparing use of symbolism. The overall effect was somber. The first play began with a tolling bell and chanting, as Bolingbroke kneeled at the front of the stage. He uttered as if in prayer his impassioned declaration of intent to lead an army to the Holy Land, while the as-yet-unidentified figures of Blunt and Westmoreland stood upstage, priestlike in their long-skirted gowns. After the news of dissent and potential rebellion and the king's resolve to meet the threat head-on...