Last night, Winchester Great Hall set the scene for Henry I by Beth Flintoff. Based on the historical life before and after Henry I was crowned King of England.

Rabble Theatre community-based company from Reading, Berkshire held its first performances of the play in the grounds of The Abbey which Henry I had built during his reign. Theatre Royal Winchester and Play to the Crowd are supporting this production while in Winchester.

Angelica Serra’s performance as the downtrodden beaten wife of nobleman Robert De Belleme (Greg Barnett) Juliana of Breteuil portrayed the brutality and cruelty she endured during their marriage. Each time he assaulted her Serra’s reactions appeared to be genuine.

The hunting scene through the forest led by William Rufus (Gabrielle Sheppard) directed by movement director Gareth Taylor is outstanding. Each twist and turn they took had the audience gripped and fixed in the moment with the hunting pack as they tracked and shot their prey. A breathtaking moment like this could only be experienced through live theatre.

Overall, Henry I offers a strong physical high-energy production. The level of energy does cause some of the characters to merge into each one another and following whose who can at times can be problematic and I found myself not completely sure what was taking place between which characters.

Sadly the acoustics in the Great Hall combined with the actors not wearing microphones meant that hearing everything the actors were saying was difficult at times. I overheard some of the audience member’s issues during the interval. I would be interested to see/hear how this would work in a smaller venue.

For further information about this performance and future production at the Theatre Royal Winchester. This production is next going to be performed at The Actor’s Church Covent Garden 20th-22nd July 2023.

Three Stars

http://www.theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk/whats-on/henry-i

https://rabbletheatre.com/contact-us/