A second session with the Henry VI plays sweeps us through the conspiracies of the War of the Roses and presents an opportunity for reflection on the players and playwright.
Propeller, from the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, comprises a disparate group of male actors, assembled by director Edward Hall to form a cohesive unit, with a repertoire of skills which empowers their storytelling. The collective sense of timing enables the cast to extract maximum value from each scene, honed to perfection through extensive touring.
Would that there were more opportunities for Irish companies to build in this way.
The motifs and symbols, novel in Part 1, now resonate more deeply. The butchering of livers and hearts proceeds apace. The violence is shocking, yet is conveyed by symbolic, rather than naturalistic, movement. We never lose sight of the human toll of civil broil.
The story centres on the emergence of the "Crookback" Richard. Holding us rapt from his first appearance in the role, Richard Clothier hobbles malevolently towards "the golden round".
With his homberg he resembles a diabolical Joseph Beuys or a maimed Mafioso. Born with teeth in his mouth, Gloucester's going to bite the world. His untrammelled, self-seeking makes him a perfect candidate for politics - or business or high finance.
The devil gets some of the best lines and, by contrast, the virtuous musings of Henry VI (Jonathan McGuinness) mark out the peacemaker as appeaser.
The Henry plays come early in the Shakespeare canon, so there's added pleasure in spotting shades of Macbeth, Othello, and Measure for Measure. One senses that the energy and editing sustains some weaknesses in the writing.