Player Kings: Shakespeare's Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 - Paperback

by Robert Icke (Adapted by), William Shakespeare (Author)

The crown meets the criminals. Welcome to England.

Hal wasn't born to be king. Only now, it seems, he will be. His father longs for him to leave behind his friends in the taverns of Eastcheap, most notably the infamous John Falstaff. War is on the horizon. But will Hal ever come good?

Adapted by award-winning writer and director Robert Icke, Player Kings brings together two of Shakespeare's great history plays, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, in a visionary new version.

It opened at the Noël Coward Theatre, London, in 2024, before embarking on a UK tour. It was directed by Robert Icke, with a cast including Toheeb Jimoh, Richard Coyle and Ian McKellen as Falstaff.

Author Biography

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English poet and playwright of some renown.

Robert Icke is a writer, director, and former Associate Director at the Almeida (2013-19). His recent productions include Judas, Children of Nora, and Oedipus at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam; Player Kings (West End and UK tour); Enemy of the People (Park Avenue Armory); Animal Farm (UK tour); Ivanov (Schauspiel Stuttgart); and The Doctor (Park Avenue Armory, Adelaide Festival, Almeida, West End, and Burgtheater, Vienna). His awards include two Evening Standard Awards for Best Director, a Critics' Circle Award, the Kurt Hübner Award for his debut production in Germany, and an Olivier Award for Best Director for Oresteia, of which he is the youngest-ever winner. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.