JOURNEY - WILLIAM AND I

The title timeless came to life recently whilst watching my dear friend Anthony Howell playing Henry VIII at the Open Air Globe theatre. There was a fantastic moment when the sound of a Helicopter in full flight hovered above us in the sky, it was so loud that the cast incorporated it into the play! Anthony and I discussed Shakespeare when I first started on my issue and both felt how could we have an issue called Timeless without talking about The Bard. Here Anthony shares his feeling about the playwright and also some of his favourite productions. SS

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Words by Anthony Howell Illustrations by Caspar Hodgson

On the 29th June, 1613, a canon used in a performance of Shakespeares Henry VIII set fire to the thatched roof of the original Globe Theatre on Londons South Bank. There were no such things as fire extinguishers and there wasnt a fire brigade in London. The only means to fight the Globe theatre fire was to douse it with buckets of water. Not surprising then that the theatre, built mostly from timber, burned to the ground in less than two hours. But even more surprising was the fact that no one was injured in the blaze except for one unlucky chap whose breeches caught alight and had to be put out with a bottle of ale. Three hundred and ninety seven years later,

just after 8pm on the 29th June, 2010, I sat in my costume backstage during an imaginatively and defiantly scheduled performance of that same Henry VIII at the new Shakespeares Globe, waiting to make my final entrance as the Duke of Buckingham, Henrys rival to the throne of England There was a loud boom, as the canon sound effect played into the auditorium, a few startled members of the audience but no fire this time, and the play continued. Shortly afterwards I was led in rope handcuffs, flanked by armed guards, into the very centre of the Globe auditorium on an extended thrust stage, to address the gathered crowd of the Dukes supporters before being taken to the Tower of London, and executed for treason. Henry VIII is a play full of pageantry and political intrigue, following the lives of the Royal Court of Tudor England, and was my

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first as a performer at the Globe. Delivering Buckinghams final speech to the audience remains one of the most wonderful and exhilarating experiences Ive ever had on stage. Each performance felt completely different each time, mainly due to the extraordinary and intimate relationship an actor can have with the audience there, most of whom are very close to the stage. As with so many plays Ive seen at the Globe, there is unprecedented opportunity for the audience to not only become involved in the play but to become characters in it too. Unlike the darkened auditorium that were used to in todays theatres, with rows of dimly-lit seats a considerable distance away, in the atmospheric light of dusk or the warm afternoon sun at the Globe, actors can connect with every face in the crowd, meaning that the audience becomes a crucial player in every scene and speech, and the experience of the performance is shared with them in a very cogent way. There is no fourth wall at the Globe, no pretence that the audience doesnt exist, so speeches and asides feel wonderfully free and natural. Ive seen and performed in a few Shakespeare plays over the years, but nowhere has Shakespeare come more alive for me as performer, or a member of the audience, than at the Globe. Its almost as if by stepping into that magical wooden O (as its described in the prologue of one of Shakespeares finest plays, Henry V) we are transported back to the time when the language would be as easy to follow as ours is today, and new life is breathed into text that is sometimes considered impenetrable and archaic. Shakespeare was without doubt a genius, and he had a matchless and profound understanding

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of human nature. He wrote his plays for a diverse audience and explored every aspect of humanity with an honesty, wit and love that have not dated. Its easy to see that the themes in Shakespeares plays are timeless love, fate, ambition, betrayal to name but a few - but I think something more wonderful has travelled through time to us today. His fearless insight into the human psyche is what fascinates actors and audiences alike and its why his popularity has never waned. He predated Freud by almost three centuries and yet his plays offer a remarkable and accurate portrayal of every corner of the human mind, every sub-conscious and conscious urge we have. Shakespeares timeless analysis of what it means to be human, and his unique ability to distill it into language that is not only rich and poetic but also unashamedly honest, has meant

that, over the centuries, his work has found a global audience. His plays have not only been translated into most languages and performed all over the world, but also inspired ballets, operas, novels, and countless works of art. His work has always added depth and recognition to our lives, and I feel certain that his legacy will continue to enrich the human experience to the last syllable of recorded time. My Favourite Moments Henry V - Kenneth Brannaghs film in 1989 This is one of the first and best Shakespeare films Ive seen, with an outstanding cast giving fantastic performances, and a central one by Kenneth Brannagh that is truly inspiring. You cant fail to be moved by his address as Henry V to the outnumbered English army before the Battle of Agincourt, on the Eve of St Crispins Day.

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Romeo & Juliet - Baz Luhrmanns film in 1996 As entertaining now as the first time I saw it: Baz Luhrmanns clever, witty, inventive, innovative, sexy rollercoaster of a film still manages to convey the poetry and emotional resonance of the story. As you like It at Shakespeares Globe in 1998 This was the first play I saw at the newly opened Shakespeares Globe, and as a groundling standing in the pit I was treated to my first experience of audience member as participant beginning with a full-on wrestling match between Orlando and Charles, spilling off the stage and into the crowd of enthusiastic spectators. Hamlet with Simon Russell Beale at the National Theatre in 2000 Simon Russell Beale as the most memorable and emotionally resonant Hamlet Ive seen so far...in

a production that was beautifully designed and lit on the Lyttleton stage at the National Theatre. Richard II with Mark Rylance at Shakespeares Globe in 2003 I remember sitting on a warm summers evening at the Globe being completely mesmerized by Mark Rylances brilliant performance in this all male production.

Anthony Howell is an acclaimed actor who has appeared extensively on both screen and stage. Most recently, he has appeared in Anne Boleyn at Shakespeares Globe, London. Illustrator Caspar Hodgson Thanks To the Globe Theatre.