A few weeks ago, as I was holidaying in Sydney, I discovered that I had landed right in the middle of the Sydney Festival, the city’s annual festival of arts. Flicking through the guide, one play instantly captured my attention: because it was formed from Shakespeare’s works, and because it featured the beautiful and sensationally talented Cate Blanchett. I know that this website is for movie reviews, but after watching this breathtaking four hour epic, I had to share it with everyone! So pick a rose, and choose your side, because the war for the crown has well and truly begun: this is The War of the Roses, Part 2…

The War of the Roses, adapted by Tom Wright and Benedict Andrews and performed by the Sydney Theatre Company, is a culmination of eight plays from the historical works of master playwright William Shakespeare. The overall production is split into two parts, each with two acts, and these are performed as either an afternoon/evening double or on consecutive nights. One can be seen without the other and due to time restrictions, I only saw Part 2. As a bit of background, Part 1 starts with the story of King Richard II  and his demise, followed by the rise to power of King Henry IV and the conflict throughout Wales and Scotland. After reconciliation between Henry IV and his wayward son, Henry V, Henry IV dies and King Henry V takes the crown. He invades France and after his triumph, courts the daughter of the King of France. The troubles of the past seem to be fading until Henry V dies young, leaving his young son the crown and a brewing conflict that will become a violent and bloody battle for power.

Act 1 of Part 2 begins with supporters declaring their loyalty to one of the two opposing sides of the royal family. Those supporting the young King Henry VI, the Lancastrians, picked red roses, whilst the Yorkists, supporters of the Duke of York, picked white roses. Margaret of Anjou, a French princess, is captured by the Earl of Suffolk to marry the immature King, but soon betrays him by conspiring with the Yorkists. First, the King’s protector is killed, then Suffolk, even though he was working with her. York attempts to claim the throne, but the conflict between the two sides explodes into a civil war. Henry VI is captured by York and offers to make York his heir, but this arrangement falls through and the battle worsens. York’s youngest son Rutland is killed, York himself is caught and killed, and Clifford, a Lancastrian fighting for Margaret, is killed also. Chaos erupts when York’s eldest son Edward names himself King, meaning England has two Kings at once. Margaret’s forces are defeated and her son is killed, followed by Henry VI, and Margaret herself is banished. The Yorkists seem to have won as Edward IV and his queen Elizabeth take control, but he knows not of his brother Richard’s plan to overthrow him.

Act 2 soon reveals Richard’s plan, and as he descends into power-hungry madness he arranges the murder of his brother Clarence. Richard courts Anne, the widow of Henry’s son, whilst Margaret returns with wild prophecies about the ‘coming darkness’ but is ignored. Edward IV dies and Richard becomes the Protector of his young sons and heirs to the kingdom. The boys are kept hidden and Richard claims the throne after his cousin Buckingham spreads rumours that the Princes are illegitimate. Richard wants the Princes killed, but Buckingham refuses and flees in fear. Anne is driven to kill herself through fear and hatred of her tyrannical husband. Richard tries in vain to marry his niece while the kingdom falls into disarray, Buckingham is finally killed and the Earl of Richmond invades, ready to fight Richard. After a visit from the ghosts of those that have died, Richard is killed by Richmond, who is from the Lancastrian line. The houses of Lancaster and York are united when Richmond, now King Henry VII, marries the daughter of Edward IV, ending the long battle for supremacy.

It was clear right from the start that this was not going to be your ordinary Shakespeare play. Part 2 opens with a simply set stage: a large square bordered by fluorescent lights, hundreds of scattered roses inside the square, one chair and no backdrops. A couple of bags filled with flour sit curiously alongside bottles containing red liquid, at various positions in the square, whilst an electronic sign hanging above tells the audience the name of the scene in its bright red writing. The actors enter the square in plain, modern-day clothing, and I immediately drew connections to Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet: the modern twist on a timeless classic. The square became the on-stage area, as actors who were not part of the scene or waiting to enter stood around the edges. The roses were used to full effect, being picked up symbolically in scenes such as when the sides were chosen, or kicked around in anger or joy, or piled on top of those that had died. We learned very abruptly what the bottles and flour bags were to be used for: when someone was killed, the character that killed them drank the liquid and spat it over the dying character, or poured it over them, then threw flour at them. This was shocking at first but looked very realistic and created a great spectacle in the scenes where characters died. The electronic sign informed us when this was to occur, with scene after scene at the end of the first act called ‘The Killing of (character)’, and this was increasingly greeted by laughter as the audience prepared to see someone else suffer a very gory death.

The second act revealed a complete change in set: the sign and square were gone, replaced by playground equipment, including a slide,merry-go-round, swing set and monkey bars. Very fine grey particles floated down from the ceiling looking like snowflakes but gathering on the ground to look like ashes or dust. Perfect and almost cliched symbolism when at the start of the act, Richard spoke the famous line, ‘Now is the winter of our discontent’. The various pieces of playground equipment were used for meeting places, hiding places, vantage points for that scene or even for characters to hang themselves from, as the terrified Anne does. The blood is not used in this act, however the grey dust artfully covers the dead as they are left to lie on the ground. The pieces of equipment are covered one by one with purple cloths as Richard’s reign begins to end and his kingdom is slowly taken away. Throughout the two acts and in between the dialogue, bursts of sharp, almost harsh, modern electronic and techno music are played. It is loud and brash, startling the audience and defying the type of music one would expect to hear in a Shakespeare play, but at the same time it complements the events of the play and the general emotions of anger, fear, hatred and revenge.

The acting in the play was superb, with the actors from the Sydney Theatre Company bringing to life and putting a different spin on this classic story. The lines of beautiful Shakespearean language were delivered perfectly and with so much feeling, and small movements around the stage or on the playground equipment were fluid and meaningful. The standout performances for me were Pamela Rabe as Richard, spectacularly displaying the madness and tyrannical nature of her character; Eden Falk, who really showed the childish and immature disposition of Henry VI; and Marta Dusseldorp as the beautiful and power-hungry Margaret. The highlight, though, was seeing the stunning Cate Blanchett as Anne. She has such enormous presence on the stage, commanding attention with her heartfelt portrayal of her character. The audience gave her their full attention whenever she appeared, seeming to gasp when she entered the stage. It was an honour to see Cate in person on the stage, and so easy to see why she has excelled as an actor.

Overall, I loved every second of the almost four hour duration of The War of the Roses, Part 2. The story is one of history’s all-time classics and was portrayed so impressively with brilliant acting and wonderfully modern sets, costumes and music. If you aren’t one of the lucky ones that were able to see this play, I hope this piece has at least helped you to envision it! For more information, pictures and behind-the-scenes action, visit the official website here.