On our mini trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, our group was given the great opportunity to see a performance of The War of The Roses (or, Henry VI Part 3) performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Despite this study abroad program as a whole being based around Shakespeare and his works, this would actually be my first time viewing a performance of a Shakespeare play. I have had mixed feelings about reading Shakespeare in the past, as I have felt that some of the dialogue was too far disconnected and some of the humor that might have been funny during his time was not as funny to me. Due to my previous experience, I was nervous that might happen when I viewed the live performance as well.

I am quite happy to say that I was mistaken.

Everything about the performance of The War of The Roses was phenomenal to me, from the sets and the use of lighting and projection, to the sound design from booming speakers, and the intense choreography of the action sequences. However, nothing stood out to me more than the performances of the actors, specifically Minnie Gale as Margaret. I have heard that the Royal Shakespeare Company is top tier when it comes to performing the Bard’s works, but I was absolutely blown away by Gale’s acting. She was intense, most of the times shouting so loud I was surprised that her voice didn’t give out towards the end of the performance. Her anguished cries and curses of rage throughout the play became more and more fierce, with saliva expelled at one point in a particularly passionate performance in the later section. As well, we were very close to the stage, so we could see every minute facial expression that channeled how her character (and the other actors and their characters) felt. With every word I was absolutely entranced.

This, to me, is absolutely crucial to the performance of Shakespeare now. Many times when I have read Shakespeare, that passion does not translate the same way through the text as it does when performed, making the reading seem somewhat boring. General audiences might be turned away from the language, as it often feels inaccessible and held in high regard. However, when the passion for the work is clearly put on stage by those performing, such as Minnie Gale, it makes the story much easier to follow because you become fixated on what might happen next. While certain words may not make sense or some jokes might go over the audience’s heads, I could clearly follow what was happening within the play without having read the text before due to how every actor felt so strongly passionate in their roles. An actor’s performance can truly pique the interest of an audience who might have been put off by just the text, and this performance of The War of The Roses did just that.