Kings of War

Kristine Johanson (University of Amsterdam)

Kings of War: A Review

Directed by Ivo van Hove with Toneelgroep Amsterdam

February 12, 2016, Stadsschouwburg, Amsterdam

Playing April 22 – May 1st at the Barbican, London

(In Dutch)

Leiderschap en macht. Leadership and power: these are the two central concerns of Ivo van Hove’s smart, sleek Kings of War, and they manifest in both surprising and anticipated ways during the play. Kings of War is van Hove’s four-and-a-half hour adaptation of Henry V, 2 & 3 Henry VI, and Richard III (played in that order). Such an adaptation is ambitious, and the production exceeds that ambition.

Van Hove is known for his use of film in the theatre, and this production is certainly no exception, as the use of visible and invisible cameras repeatedly stresses his interest in how power is mediated. As an audience we see the mediation at work in the…