ITALive: Kings of war

Kings of War merges Henry V, Henry VI and Richard III into one explosive performance about leadership. In successive kings, Shakespeare sketches an image of political leaders, face to face with the ultimate responsibility for life and death in times of war. -|- In an inimitable way, he leads us into the psychology of those in power, but also into the machinations of the rulers around them. Kings of War shows the mechanisms of decision making in times of political crisis, the clash between state interest and lust for power.

'Epic reimagining of Henry V, Henry VI and Richard III makes for an explosive examination of political leadership and present-day power' - The Guardian ****

'Convoquer les classiques pour parler d’aujourd’hui, le directeur du Toneelgroep d’Amsterdam la met en oeuvre avec une intelligence magistrale. Et un atout maître: les fabuleux acteurs de sa troupe, qui ont là l’occasion de montrer toute l’étendue de leur talent.'- Le Monde

-|- 'In this cold-eyed, hot-blooded work, political cynicism moves with the heady rush of sexual passion. Settle in for a long session of shivers, gasps and, despite yourself, satisfied smiles. Kings of War takes the home-viewing pleasures associated with serial television portraits of cutthroat schemers, like those in House of Cards and The Sopranos, and magnifies them to the proportions of grand opera.'- New York Times

‘the first great theatrical work of the Trump era’ – The New Yorker

‘brilliance and beauty’ - What’s on ****

In Kings of War, director Ivo van Hove focuses on political leadership. The original texts were retranslated by Rob Klinkenberg and then thoroughly adapted: the Hundred Years' War between England and France, and the Rose Wars between the houses of Lancaster and York for the English throne, which are emphatically present as a historical context in the original pieces, were referred to the background in the adaptation in order to accommodate a varied portrait of successive kings. -|- As leaders in times of political instability and war, they show remarkable affinities with world leaders today. Kings of War is not a historical reconstruction, but a performance about power, ambition, leadership and responsibility; a performance in which leaders are confronted with the ultimate decision about the life and death of thousands of citizens and in which they rule from a sense of empathy and justice or are led by an unbridled lust for power.

Ramsey Nasr
Eelco Smits
Hans Kesting
Chris Nietvelt
Janni Goslinga
Bart Slegers
Gijs Scholten van Aschat
Aus Greidanus
Alwin Pulinckx
Harm Duco Schut
Celia Nufaar
Ilke Paddenburg
Hugo Koolschijn
Jip van den Dool

-|- Musicians:
Charlotte Van Passen
Steve Dugardin (singing)
Daniel Quiles Cascant
Max Vanden Brand
Victor Belmonte Albert