English Kings Killing Foreigners opens with perhaps the scariest question an audience member can possibly be presented with: ‘Who here hates audience participation?’
Starring and created by Nina Bowers & Philip Arditti, English Kings Killing Foreigners (produced by The Project People) takes a look into the people behind the performance; the ways in which these famous scripts can affect the people attempting to portray them. We follow Nina and Phillip as they deconstruct Shakespeare’s ‘Henry V’ and attempt to bring a sense of ‘self’ to an otherwise fairly unrelatable and grandiose body of text.
Audience participation is a pretty large aspect of this production. As previously mentioned, the performance begins with our stars bringing the house lights up and picking members of the audience like two smirking teachers. Throughout the 80 minutes, the production shifts between a Shakespearean retelling and a theatre studies seminar, with both Nina and Philip requesting ‘notes’ on their performances from the audience. It’s fun, tongue-in-cheek and forces you to reflect on the material in front of you.
Props are particularly impressive, if not a tad outlandish (though that is arguably the point). The set is sparse and incredibly stripped back, so when Philip decides to pull out an arsenal of weapons, it does pack quite the punch. It’s a powerful way of getting you to focus on the theatrics of the script and really pulls back your attention, even when done in jest.
I think the premise for this show is very clever and certainly unique; however, as an audience member, it was sometimes tricky to follow the narrative. We hop in and out of the ‘story’ and as I like that concept, I think the play could benefit from providing more context with certain scenes. It wasn’t always clear why/what I was watching, which can make it tricky to draw any sort of deeper message.
That being said, Nina and Philip do a marvellous job at switching between the creators and the characters. They’re quick-witted, expertly handling moments of audience interaction and seamlessly flitting back into the scripted play. It’s clear to see from the off-set that both Bowers and Arditti are seasoned performers and their talent does truly shine through.
Showing at Soho Theatre until 18th October
Review: Bethany Chandler Photo: Tristram Kenton