King John, Shakespeare’s Globe, London — review

James Dacre’s fine, zesty staging of Shakespeare’s more rarely performed history play opens with much pomp and ceremony. Orlando Gough’s music (wonderful and expressive throughout) first dolefully mourns the passing of Richard the Lionheart then rouses into celebration as his brother John is paraded in to take the throne. But Jo Stone-Fewings’ John soon gives the lie to this outward show, snatching the crown with unseemly haste and cramming it on to his head. It’s a move that sets the tone for the evening, as Dacre delights in the murky wrangling, shrewd politicking and fickle expediency that drive the play’s depiction of medieval monarchy.

Indeed, no sooner is the crown on John’s head than a challenger emerges in the shape of his nephew Arthur, a boy, who has the backing of the French king. Issues of parenthood, succession and inheritance multiply with the arrival of Richard’s illegitimate son: a sardonic, charismatic character. In Alex Waldmann’s enjoyable performance, he relishes his newfound status, pulling strings and flirting with the audience, making you wonder whether his father was as unblemished as all that. But it is John’s reign under the spotlight here as Shakespeare explores a favoured theme: unsuitable monarchs and the legitimacy of leadership. It’s an issue that still resonates, despite the very different political scene — some audience members may sympathise with the citizens of Angiers who, asked to choose, find neither claimant to the throne appealing.

This staging, co-produced with Northampton’s Royal & Derngate, has already played in candlelit medieval churches, where intimacy was the key. In the bigger, open space of the Globe it is the public import of the unsavoury power struggles and rampant inconstancy that comes across. It’s not among Shakespeare’s best plays, but Dacre’s clear, sprightly production keeps it moving and it is studded with strong performances, particularly from Barbara Marten and Tanya Moodie as the two keenly astute royal mothers.

There is sharp attention to detail — Blanche of Castile’s shock as she is conveniently married off to the French Dauphin is evident in Aruhan Galieva’s body language. And amid all the fighting and turbulence there are moments of stillness: Laurence Belcher, as young Arthur, brings great poignancy to his terrified pleas for mercy from his would-be assassin. Meanwhile Stone-Fewings is slippery, sly and sullen as the unpopular John, yet also invites the odd moment of sympathy as he thrashes around in this messy business.

To June 27, shakespearesglobe.com