'King John' is one of Shakespeare's least popular and performed (pretty rare now) plays. In a way it is understandable, with other plays of his having more clarity to their stories and characters that stick in the mind more, though John himself is interesting. That is not to say that it should be obscure, it doesn't deserve that. Enough of the story does intrigue, boasting some great moments like the dungeon scene, and it is very hard to go wrong with Shakespeare's language.
This 2015 Stratford production is excellent. It is a great way of getting acquainted with the play if not familiar, and is done in an accessible while still being tasteful way. Doing so while having more than enough to please those already familiar, striking the right balance of having its own identity and having enough to set itself apart while staying true to the detail and spirit of the play. It is a superior performance to the more traditional but not quite as consistent performance from the BBC Television Shakespeare series. While not everything about this production of 'King John' is perfect, it benefits hugely from the excellent performances and the atmosphere.
While all the cast are excellent, three in particular stood out. Tom McCamus is riveting in the title role and makes John more than the villainous character that he is often portrayed in the history books, he is neurotic but that is not overdone and it made John's more narcissistic traits more unsettling at points. Seanna McKenna is graceful and poignant, my heart broke when things turn particularly ugly in her situation. Graham Abbey is on formidable form and gives for me the production's best performance. Hubert and Blanche also register beautifully, Blanche's words seldom left me this moved.
Production values are simple but very effective, with beautiful use of candlelight. So much more appealing visually than the BBC production, which looked cheap. Shakespeare's text is always engaging, poetic, humorous, emotional and tense with the more political parts not being heavy-handed. Most of the stage direction is fine too, especially in the first half, it makes the conflict of 'King John' faithful yet also relevant (not always easy to achieve).
Loved the atmosphere, not just the candlelight but also the intimacy and the audience interaction that was like going back to Shakespeare's time and how it would have been performed. Shining especially with Phillip.
By all means, 'King John' isn't perfect. Not all the comic direction works, with some of it being overplayed and one is sometimes not sure whether the laughs are intentional or not. Actually found John's reaction to the death unintentionally funny rather than powerful, which is a huge shame as it is one of the few times in the play where John shows any genuine humanity.
Great production on the whole and highly recommended. 9/10.
