Henry 6 Part 1 @ Flow Studios

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (reviewed Friday 11 July 2025).

Shakespeare on the dramatic program is like pasta on the menu; you are already familiar with all the different varieties of pasta that exist but still hungry for something new. Director Steve Hopley serves that appetite with Henry 6 Part 1, part of a trilogy that will be fulfilled in subsequent weeks by Sydney Shakespeare Company.

Part 1 offers sensationalised political and royal drama much like The Crown or Fox news; Joan of Arc features prominently during her liberation of France from the English, while England’s nobilities are battling their own domestic squabbles for the throne (otherwise known as ‘War of the Roses’). Themes of allegiance, political power and royal disputes carries contemporary weighting while offering an interesting twist on historical fiction.

Sydney’s best and favourite actors present the conflict with hearty gusto including Chris Miller, Steve Maresca, Simon Lee, Theo Rule, Brendan Layton, Oliver Harcourt-Ham et al (see credits below). The staging at Flow Studios Camperdown allows for interesting, dynamic movement as various factions take up postings looking up or down on the enemy. The light remains static and could be used more to create ambience and tension. Costume design by Remi McKay provides a coherent, clean aesthetic.

This is the first time Australian audiences get to see Part 1 as intended by Shakespeare – unedited and part of a larger picture that will be presented in coming weeks. An ambitious and faithful production with a strong dominant female character makes this compelling and unmissable.

Henry 6 Part 1 will be on until Sat 2 August at Flow Studios Camperdown. For showtimes and dates of Part 2 and 3, go to https://www.ticketebo.com.au/sydney-shakespeare-company. All 3 parts will be shown on Sat 2 August.

Credits

Starring

Peter David Allison, Amy Victoria Brooks, Christopher Brown, Samuel Chapman, Garreth Cruikshank, Leo Domigan,  Oliver Harcourt-Ham, Mikki Kessler, Brendan Layton, Mark Lee, Simon Lee, Renaye Loryman, Cassady Maddox Booth, Steve Maresca, Logan McArthur, Chris Miller, Lana Morgan, Ella Morris, Alex Nicholas, Isaac Niven, Aaron Okey, Nathan Porteus, Alison Lee Rubie, Theo Rule, Ryan Scott, Max Shaw, Amy Silvana Thomas, Jack Taylor & James Waters​

​​Directed by Steven Hopley

Images: Alison Lee Rubie

Featured image: Logan McArthur as King Henry, photo by Alison Lee Rubie & design by Chantal Jim