Plot Summary
In despair at the death of his son Hotspur, the Earl of Northumberland lends his support to a second rebellion, led by the Archbishop of York. As the threat of civil war looms over the country, King Henry IV grows sick, while also fearing that his son Prince Henry (also known as Harry and, by Falstaff, as Hal) has returned to his old life with Falstaff and the other disreputable denizens of the Eastcheap tavern. Falstaff is sent on a recruiting expedition and renews old acquaintances in Gloucestershire. The rebel army is met by the king's forces, led this time by Hal's younger brother, Prince John of Lancaster. On his death-bed, King Henry is reconciled with his son, who has begun to distance himself from his former companions. A new, mature Hal accepts the crown as Henry V.
RSC Staging History 1960-2007 for Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2
1964 RST: Peter Hall, John Barton, Clifford Williams
John Bury( design); John Bradley (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)
Hugh Griffith (Falstaff), Ian Holm (Hal), Eric Porter (Henry IV), Roy Dotrice (Hotspur), Roy Dotrice (Shallow), Susan Engel (Doll), Clive Swift (Poins), Janet Suzman (Lady Percy), Clive Morton (Worcester), Patience Collier (Mistress Quickly), Clive Swift (Silence), Peter Geddis (Feeble)
1966 RST: John Barton, Trevor Nunn, Clifford Williams
John Bury (design); John Bradley (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)
Paul Rogers (Falstaff), Ian Holm (Hal), Tony Church (Henry IV), Norman Rodway (Hotspur), John Normington (Shallow), Patsy Byrne (Doll), Daniel Moynihan (Poins), Sheila Allen (Lady Percy), Richard Moore (Pistol), Estelle Kohler (Lady Mortimer), David Waller (Worcester), Elizabeth Spriggs (Mistress Quickly), David Waller (Silence), John Kane (Francis), Jeffery Dench (York), Patrick Stewart (Mowbray), Malcolm McDowell (Clarence), Peter Geddis (Mouldy/Rumour)
1975 RST/1976 Aldwych: Terry Hands
Farrah (design); Stewart Leviton (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)
Brewster Mason (Falstaff), Alan Howard (Hal), Emrys James (Henry IV), Stuart Wilson (Hotspur), Sydney Bromley (Shallow), Mikel Lambert (Doll), Trevor Peacock (Poins), Ann Hasson (Lady Percy), Richard Moore (Pistol), Ken Stott (Ralph), Charles Dance (John of Lancaster), George Baker (Worcester), Bob Peck (Mowbray)
1980 Small-scale Tour: Bill Alexander
Douglas Heap (design); Brian Wigney (lighting)
Alfred Marks (Falstaff), David Rintoul (Hal), Bernard Lloyd (Henry IV), Stuart Wilson (Hotspur), Willoughby Gray (Shallow/Worcester), Patti Love (Doll/Lady Mortimer), Barbara Jefford (Mistress Quickly), Simon Haywood (Poins), Juliet Stevenson (Lady Percy), Tim Stern (Bardolph), John Burgess (Pistol/Northumberland), David-Shaw Parker (Silence), Martin Howells (John of Lancaster/Peto/Mouldy), Andrew Jarvis (Mowbray/Warwick)
1982 Barbican: Trevor Nunn
John Napier (design); David Hersey (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)
Joss Ackland (Falstaff), Gerard Murphy (Hal), Patrick Stewart (Henry IV), Timothy Dalton/Hugh Quarshie (Hotspur), Robert Eddison (Shallow/Northumberland), Gemma Jones (Doll/Lady Mortimer), Miles Anderson (Poins), Harriet Walter (Lady Percy), Mike Gwilym (Pistol), John Rogan (Bardolph), Miriam Karlin (Mistress Quickly), Kevin Wallace (John of Lancaster), John Franklyn-Robbins (Worcester), Griffith Jones (Lord Chief Justice), John Burgess (Scroop), Bernard Lloyd (Glendower), Bernard Brown (Westmoreland), David Lloyd Meredith (Silence), Ray Jewers (Blunt), Simon Templeman (Mortimer/Clarence), Dexter Fletcher (Francis), Brian Poyser (Warwick), Philip Franks (Morton/Shadow), Ronan Wilmot (Archibald), Graham Turner (Dick), James Fleet (Peto)
1991 RST/1992 Barbican: Adrian Noble
Bob Crowley (sets), Deirdre Clancy (costumes); Alan Burrett (lighting); Edward Gregson (music)
Robert Stephens (Falstaff), Michael Maloney (Hal), Julian Glover (Henry IV), Owen Teale (Hotspur), David Bradley (Shallow), Joanne Pearce (Doll), Rob Edwards (Poins), Sylvestra Le Touzel (Lady Percy), Albie Woodington (Pistol), Bill Wallis (Bardolph), Linda Bassett (Mistress Quickly), Ian Hughes (John of Lancaster), Philip Voss (Worcester/Lord Chief Justice), Clifford Rose (Scroop), Bernard Kay (Glendower), Gary Powell (Westmoreland), Anthony Douse (Silence/Blunt), Kevin Doyle (Mortimer/Mowbray), Jane Gurnett (Lady Mortimer), Denys Hawthorne (Northumberland/Sheriff), Christopher Luscombe (Francis/Feeble), Paul Kiernan (Warwick/Morton), Michael Gould (Clarence), Angus Wright (Archibald/Bullcalf), Kenn Sabberton (Shadow/Snare)
2000 Swan/2001 Barbican: Michael Attenborough ('This England: the Histories')
Es Devlin (sets), Kandis Cook (costumes); Tim Mitchell (lighting); Paddy Cunneen (music)
Desmond Barrit (Falstaff), William Houston (Hal), David Troughton (Henry IV), Adam Levy (Hotspur), Benjamin Whitrow (Shallow), Danielle Tilley (Doll), Robert Portal (Poins), Nancy Carroll (Lady Percy), Richard Bremmer (Pistol), Arthur Cox (Bardolph), Sandra Voe (Mistress Quickly), Dickon Tyrrell (John of Lancaster), Clifford Rose (Worcester/Lord Chief Justice), David Killick (Scroop/Sherrif), Rowland Davies (Glendower), David Lyon (Westmoreland), Peter Copley (Silence), Alexis Daniel (Mortimer), Joe Renton (Mowbray), Mali Harries (Lady Mortimer), Christopher Saul (Northumberland), Russell Layton (Francis), Don Gallagher (Warwick/Morton/Blunt), James Albrecht (Clarence)
For a gallery of over 100 production images from a selection of these productions (and some older ones in the pre-RSC Shakespeare Memorial Theatre), together with sample costumes, pages from promptbooks and other visual materials, go to