Nationalism and Warfare: A Review of Edward Hall’s 'Henry V'

On Wednesday, October 2, the J.N. Andrews Honors Program, along with several English classes, took a field trip to see “Henry V”at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and stayed after the performance for a Q&A session with some of the cast. Director Edward Hall’s 2024 production of “Henry V” serves as a commentary on both the good and bad aspects of patriotism as well as the nature of war. In an interview with Hall, where he discussed his vision for this production, he said, “Nationalism can sometimes bind us together, but the side effect of nationalistic energy can also result in brutal, cruel, and deeply destructive wars.”

This idea of the pervasiveness of war and nationalism was demonstrated through many aspects of the production, in particular the set. The stage was decorated with an army-green, netted backdrop, rock formations, boxes, crates and an English flag on a flagpole. Although some props were brought onstage for specific scenes, such as a vanity and bathtub, the warlike setting stayed. The combination of a militant set and a constant battle scene reminded the audience that all characters and every interaction within the play were in some way affected by their nation’s involvement in a war. 

Additionally, the set was spread out to encompass the crowd, with the cast exiting and entering the state via the aisles and positioning themselves behind and around the audience. The cast's continual extension into the audience implied that not only the characters within the play are affected by warfare but also that these same ideas are applicable to the audience. This continued through the decoration of the walls and spandrels of the different floors of the theater. The same green netting was draped around the banisters of the levels, along with flags that carried different medieval crests and symbols. Within the performance, the ensemble often goaded or encouraged the audience to participate in interacting with the cast which created an additional level of immersion.

Further demonstrating the inescapability of war was the costuming. The military uniforms that the cast first appeared in during the prologue never truly left. In this adaptation, the role of The Chorus was shared by the band of soldiers in Henry’s army. At the beginning of the play, they entered from behind the audience, singing a military cadence as they marched their way down aisles and arranged themselves around army crates on center stage. All ensemble members other than Elijah Jones, who starred as Henry V, played multiple roles within the play, and when taking on these roles, they donned French military coats, wedding dresses, commoner garb, religious garments and leather jackets right over their preexisting tank tops, camouflage cargo pants, and military boots. These costume changes often took place right on the stage as they transitioned scenes. 

Despite these costume changes, the audience was almost always able to see their military uniforms visible under their new apparel. The militancy introduced by the cast’s first appearance was almost always present in some form throughout the play, implying that regardless of what character they were playing at that moment, every character was in some way an active participant in the war. 

Besides the immersion of the set design and creative use of cast doubling and costuming, what was unique to this production is the music in Hall’s “Henry V.”Music is a wonderful tool for camaraderie and a tool that productions can use to tell the audience how to respond to parts of the performance. The cadence that starts the play is a marching rendition of “A Pair of Brown Eyes” by the Pogues. Later on, we hear a punk rock fusion of The Clash’s “London Calling” and the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the UK,” as well as English football chants. Through the use of this music, the scenes took on a level of charged energy similar to a mosh pit. 

Sports and music are two topics that get people passionate and provide unity, but there are also countless times that mob-like behavior and destruction have followed both of these types of events. It can be seen how easily and quickly energy (whether good or bad) can build to horrifying and violent acts when in a group. This production highlighted the fact that nationalism does the same thing on a much larger scale within warfare. The music not only added to Hall’s take on nationalism but provided a level of entertainment helpful to an audience that might not have studied Shakespeare’s “Henry V.” To look more at the music included within the play, here is an essay from Jon Trenchard, who directed music. 

Edward Hall’s Chicago Shakespeare Theater production of “Henry V” set itself apart from other productions with inventive costuming choices that reimagined the chorus, used an immersive set to emphasize the production’s themes of nationalism and warfare, and added entertainment with its many musical elements. Those unfamiliar with the history of Henry V or William Shakespeare’s play, would still be able to watch and follow this performance. There are hints of the ideas in “Henry V” that Shakespeare fans love, but there is plenty of the play that has been reworked for a wider audience.