Player Kings - Wimbledon / MCR / Noel Coward / Tour

If the rumours about a Heartstopper related bit of casting are true then ticket sales will see a massive uplift

I think it says from 20 November (presumably members, then those signed up for presale) on the promotional website.

from HENRY IV Parts I & II:

"The virtue of this jest will be, the incomprehensible lies that this same fat rogue will tell us when we meet at supper" (Poins)

"if I hang, I'll make a fat pair of gallows; for if I hang, old Sir John hangs with me, and thou knowest he is no starveling." (Gadshill)

"There live not three good men unhanged in England; and one of them is fat and grows old" (Falstaff)

"Zounds, ye fat paunch..." (Poins to Falstaff)

"there is a devil haunts thee in the likeness of an old fat man; a tun of man is thy companion." (Hal to Falstaff)

"banish not him thy Harry's company: banish plump Jack, and banish all the world." (Falstaff to Hal)

"A hue and cry hath follow'd certain men unto this house... One of them is well known, my gracious lord, a gross fat man... As fat as butter." (Sheriff and Carrier to Hal)

"We must all to the wars... I'll procure this fat rogue a charge of foot" (Hal)

"What, old acquaintance! could not all this flesh keep in a little life? ... Death hath not struck so fat a deer to-day..." (Hal to Falstaff, believing him dead)

"Did you not tell me this fat man was dead?" (Lancaster to Hal)

"He hath eaten me out of house and home ... he hath put all my substance into that fat belly of his" (Mistress Quickly to Lord Chief-Justice)

"And the boy that I gave Falstaff... and look, if the fat villain have not transformed him ape." (Hal to Bardolph)

"How, you fat fool! I scorn you." (Doll Tearsheet to Falstaff)

"If you be not too much cloyed with fat meat, our humble author will continue the story, with Sir John in it" (Epilogue to the audience)

Good availability for the Manchester dates for anyone wanting to go to it there!

Thanks for this, managed to get some very decent seats for under 30s, great deal.

Been at work all day and expected to sign on and see lots of activity here but v little!

If it was going to be anyone in this, it was going to be Kit Connor. HS Fandom speculation is currently....confused...

Joining the previously announced Ian McKellen as Sir John Falstaff are Toheeb Jimoh (Ted Lasso & Romeo and Juliet) as Hal and Richard Coyle (Ink & Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) as King Henry IV. Raphael Akuwudike (Prince John/Second Drawer), Sara Beharrell (Hotspur's Servant/Snare/Davy), Samuel Edward-Cook (Hotspur/Pistol), Geoffrey Freshwater (Bardolph), James Garnon (Worcester/Silence), Alice Hayes (Messenger/Carrier), Henry Jenkinson (Harcourt), Nigel Lister (Northumberland/Francis) Annette McLaughlin (Warwick), Mark Monero (Peto), Hywel Morgan (Sir Walter Blunt), Joseph Mydell (Lord Chief Justice), Clare Perkins (Mistress Quickly), Daniel Rabin (Poins), David Semark (Vernon), David Shelley (Sheriff/Surrey), Robin Soans (Shallow), Tafline Steen (Tearsheet/Lady Percy) and Perry Williams (Page/Douglas/Thomas) complete the cast.

If there was any truth to the rumour I wonder if Heartstopper season 4 and/or season 3 promotion put a stop to it.

Or of course any potential movie projects

I'm thinking of going to watch this in Manchester. I've only ever watched Shakespeare once a long time ago while doing Alevels (King Lear in Stratford) and am really not familiar with any of the texts.

Will I be ok not really knowing the text? Where is best to sit for something like this? Stalls or circle? I'll be on my own, so I'm hoping I can get a single seat in a good spot.

Difficult to say how easy it will be to follow the story without knowing what Robert Icke has cut, but it’s his job to make the story clear

Personally I’ve never had a problem following the story. If I do have a piece of advise to anyone new to the Henry IV plays is to not set your expectations high for part 2, or in this case the second act

Part 1 is to me one of Shakespeares best with a nice balance between history and comedy. Falstaff is great, there’s lots of banter between him and Hal, a dysfunctional relationship between Hal and his father and an ongoing sub plot of a rebellion represented by Hal’s rival, Hotspur

Part 2 is a more sombre play. Theres reflections of old age and change which if taken in isolation makes part 2 a good play, but coming off part 1 can feel disappointing. There’s less moments where Falstaff and Hal talk to each other, and when they do it’s not on the best of terms especially at the end. The rebellion ends on a whimper with a b-grade antagonist, and there’s this whole sequence of Falstaff in Gloucestershire that has its moments (with a lovely speech from the character Shallow) but one wonders where Shakespeare is going with this. But the resolution between Henry IV and Hal as the latter takes on his responsibilities is touching, certainly the highlight of part 2

The consistent story through these plays is Hal’s coming of age story to becoming the future Henry V