Entertainment

Preview: Henry V @ Manchester Cathedral

British and French actors will descend on Manchester later this month to lead the cast of Antic Disposition’s Henry V.

The critically-acclaimed production returns to English cathedrals this autumn to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.

The play, set in a French military hospital, will be touring 10 of the UK’s most beautiful cathedrals including Manchester Cathedral from Oct 22-24.

Antic Deposition’s production of Henry V was first staged in 2015 and has received multiple five-star ratings from the likes of the British Theatre, The Upcoming, Plays to see and many more.

Leading a company of actors from both sides of the Channel, Nathan Hamilton (As You Like It, Shared Experience; After the Dance, Theatre by the Lake) will make his Antic Disposition debut as King Henry V.

“Every young actor embarking on his career hopes that he might be lucky enough to portray the one special character that speaks to him louder than any other,” he said.

“The role of Henry V is that for me. I am very excited for the journey that awaits us on this special project.”

Joining the company are Aude Le Pape, Ollie Kaiper-Leach, Tom Gabriel, Christabel Muir, Scott Howland and Vinicius Timmerman.

Completing the cast, Maurice Byrne, Callum Coates, Chris Hespel, Andrew Hodges, James Murfitt, Charles Neville and Dean Riley return to the production, which is a powerful tribute to the young soldiers caught up in conflicts five centuries apart.

Set in 1915, the play tells the story of when England’s idealistic army marched to war and how France proudly defended their borders from invasion, but as the nations clash it is the common soldiers who pay the ultimate price in the bloody mud of the battlefield.

The play has been previously performed in 10 open air locations in France in 2015, followed by a run in Temple Church London.

In January 2018 the production was invited to perform at the Theatre National de Nice in France as part of the annual ShakeNice! Festival, making this one of only a handful of productions of Shakespeare’s plays ever to be performed in a major French theatre.

Tickets are available from www.henry-v.co.uk or on 0333 666 3366. Tickets are priced from £20 – £40 (Under 26s £10 off)

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