The Conversation: Nicholas Hytner and Helen Castor (St Martin-in-the-Fields)

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On Tuesday evenings until April, St Martin-in-the-Fields, the iconic church in Trafalgar Square, is home to a series of in person discussions with notable people. Under the name ‘The Conversation’, experts in their field take to the stage for an hour long interview and question and answer session in front of a live audience. This week theatre director Nicholas Hytner was at the venue alongside historian and author Helen Castor, reflecting on the director’s multiple interpretations of William Shakespeare’s work across the years, with a specific focus on ‘Richard II’ which is currently at the Bridge Theatre on the Southbank.

A passion for Shakespeare

Claire Armitstead chaired the conversation, initially asking Nicholas Hytner questions about this new staging of the play. Of the people in attendance, some had seen it and others hadn’t, with myself falling in the latter category. Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with Shakespeare’s plays, but having a seasoned Bard director and passionate historian talk through his work was enough to convince me to attend the talk. I was really hoping that the speakers’ passion would shine through and fortunately this was indeed the case, with the pair showing so much enthusiasm.

Comparing the historic play with the present day

Something that surprised me is how much both Nicholas and Helen made links to the present day, specifically contemporary leaders and the role of the monarchs. Society no longer believes in the “divine rights of kings” and they made comparisons between political leaders of today and historic sovereigns. They also talked about the 1500s and Elizabeth I’s perception of Richard II, reflecting on how Shakespeare responded to both public and regal interest of the time. When asked about whether the playwright was influenced by the Bible, Nicholas said that he believes “Shakespeare keeps his political and religious cards to his chest”, something that I hadn’t considered in my experiences of the Bard so far.

Working with Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey plays the titular character at the Bridge and has a “wonderful volatility” according to Nicholas. The director explained that the actor has lifted the popularity of Richard II, which was actually positioned 28th equal in a ranking of Shakespeare’s plays based on the number of productions worldwide. It was fascinating to hear about the pair’s previous stage collaborations and find out more about the actor’s desire to return to the stage following the ‘Wicked’ movie. It has inspired me to try and see the show before it closes as this is clearly a passion project for the repeat collaborators. I’m also keen to visit the “completely flexible” Bridge Theatre space and see how it has been adapted for Shakespeare, in contrast to the vibrant ‘Guys & Dolls’ which was at the venue until the start of this year.

My personal takeaways

If there is anything I will take away from this week’s instalment of ‘The Conversation’, it would be how important it is to look at the history behind Shakespeare’s work, considering the sources and powers that would have influenced his writing. Whilst I was primarily attending to hear about the creativity behind ‘Richard II’, it was fascinating to hear the pair discuss Shakespeare’s work in detail. The collaborative interview format made for a really interesting hour’s discussion, with audience members having the opportunity to speak to both Nicholas and Helen on an individual basis in the venue’s Crypt afterwards. You can book any of the future ‘The Conversation’ events via the St Martin-in-the-Fields website.

Thanks for reading my blog today.

Love Kat xxxx

*My ticket for ‘The Conversation’ was gifted in exchange for website coverage.