Shakespeare's Globe: Henry IV, Part 1

After a semester on English medieval history, I have enjoyed sampling available productions of the rich Shakespeare plays on several of those monarchs and comparing different versions.This live Globe presentation of Henry IV part 1 benefits from audience reactions which bring out the inherent comedy better than in a canned filmed attempt such as the one in the Hollow Crown series.Though sometimes the boisterous response to something that doesn't, seem all that hilarious is reminiscent of the canned laughter on a TV sitcom.Roger Allam, who I usually associate with sarcastic upper crust roles in film and television, does a forceful job of bringing the Falstaff character front and center and reminds us (as Welles also realized in his Chimes at Midnight movie) that Sir John rather than the King of the play,s title is really the main point of interest.The staging is lively and the length of the video, about 47 minutes more than the Hollow Crown equivalent, includes bits of business that were trimmed for a more comfortable 2 hour format there.