A good day

Day two and I already fail to blog. Oh well, it was really rather a great day. To sound stunningly parochial, I haven't been to many countries in the world which do better weather then we had yesterday. It's sunny and green and breezy so that you feel comfortable whether you're in shorts or in trousers. In a jumper or a t-shirt. And everyone just looks so damn happy. Especially slackers like me who could have their lunch on Primrose Hill.

Aside from the weather, it was also a good day because I saw two exceptional pieces of drama. In the morning I took advantage of my slacker status and saw Henry VI part I. I'd gone there thinking I was seeing Henry IV part I (I'm writing them like this to try and emphasise how easy the mistake is) and am rather glad for the mistake. Never seen Henry VI and it's a great play. It has a real sense of the epic. In the programme the director compares it to the Bible, the Sopranos and War and Peace. Never read the Bible but I agree with the comparisons to the other two. It was a real shame I couldn't go and see all three parts.

As a play about a country decaying because of the bickering of its ruling class I felt obliged to try and draw parallels with what's happening at the moment. But the truth is there's none really to make. I suppose you could just about portray Brown as York but then Blair would be Henry VI which is farcical. And that's why parallels can't be drawn. No one in politics is underqualified for office in the same way people were in a feudal government. They are all intelligent and canny. Some more than others, undeniably. And some with a far stronger grasp about how to elicit public support. But they're not children thrust into the deep end. And they can't truly fight amongst themselves with no thought of the people. They're under far too much outside scrutiny. Labour may be struggling to woo the electorate at the moment but it's problem is not that it's ignoring them. The u-turn on bin taxes is an example of them listening and changing their policy even though they know it's right.

It's not a very profound point to say that politics is better than it was in feudal times or that the country isn't actually decaying at all. But it's always worth repeating. We are terribly bad at remembering what a good country this is.

So I'd rather talk about the beautiful production. Productions of shakesepeare have to be visual. You won't catch every line if a story is completely new to you so you need people to be physical in the performance to really bring out the wit of the words. I remember seeing a version of Romeo and Juliet which finally allowed me to understood how dirty, witty and bullying Mercutio and Benvolio were when they were together.

And this truly is a visceral production. The music is sensational. Atmospheric and far more than just background fodder. The costumes are a strange mix between medieval and Mad Max, especially Talbot who has the added bonus of having a slight air of Colonel Blimp. The action scenes are genuinely action-packed with spellbinding choreography and great use of ladders and exits. The acting was, as you'd expect top drawer, with Talbot a great romantic figure, York suitably evil, Gloucester avuncular and domineering and Henry VI able before he even said a word to portray how ridiculous a system is that puts a boy of no special qualities at the head of a warring nation, ridden with factions.

I'm no theatre critic; I hadn't been for well over a year before yesterday. But if I could, I'd see all the histories while they're still on at the roundhouse. It was amazing and it's sad that they're about to end.