David Warner and Dame Peggy Ashcroft are mesmerising as, respectively, King Henry VI, and his wife Margaret of Anjou, the She-Wolf of France in Peter Hall's legendary production of Shakespeare's cycle of plays about The Wars of the Roses.
Warner gives a performance that is indescribably sad as the saintly, depressed and mad king, (Shakespeare puts pearls of poetry into the mouth of a man who was effectively an imbecile) and equally, if not more memorable, is Ashcroft's depiction of the way Margaret descends from a figure of courage and steadfastness, into a monster of vengeance and terrifying cruelty. The brilliant decision of Ashcroft to give her Margaret a stutter adds tremendous poignancy to the character.
I haven't seen this monumental production of the complete Wars of the Roses cycle for many years ... it still haunts my memory, and I would give anything to see it again.
Warner gives a performance that is indescribably sad as the saintly, depressed and mad king, (Shakespeare puts pearls of poetry into the mouth of a man who was effectively an imbecile) and equally, if not more memorable, is Ashcroft's depiction of the way Margaret descends from a figure of courage and steadfastness, into a monster of vengeance and terrifying cruelty. The brilliant decision of Ashcroft to give her Margaret a stutter adds tremendous poignancy to the character.
I haven't seen this monumental production of the complete Wars of the Roses cycle for many years ... it still haunts my memory, and I would give anything to see it again.