Shakespeare’s King John, one of his least performed and most unfairly neglected history plays, gets a rare candlelit staging in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe, directed by Jaz Woodcock-Stewart. It is a fast, brutal and surprisingly modern drama about power, legitimacy and the impossible weight of following a legend.
Richard the Lionheart, the hero-king of English myth, is dead, and his younger brother John inherits a crown that half the world thinks he has no right to wear. Challenged from within his own family by the claim of his young nephew Arthur, and from without by the might of France, John lurches from alliance to betrayal and back again, doing whatever it takes to hold on to power. Around him swirl scheming nobles, a defiant papal legate and, best of all, the Bastard, a witty, clear-eyed outsider who watches these so-called great men behave appallingly and says out loud what everyone is thinking.
Rarely revived and full of surprises, King John builds to one of Shakespeare’s most stirring declarations of English defiance: “This England never did, nor never shall, lie at the proud foot of a conqueror.” Staged by candlelight in the intimate Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, where every glance and whispered plot is just feet away, it is a rare opportunity to discover a Shakespeare play you have almost certainly never seen.
Why it’s worth the watch
King John is a hidden gem of the Shakespeare canon, and this is a rare chance to catch it. Here is why it is worth the trip:
- A genuine rarity. One of Shakespeare’s least staged plays, so seeing it live is an event in itself.
- A cracking political thriller. Shifting alliances, contested crowns and a scene-stealing anti-hero in the Bastard make it grip like a modern drama.
- Candlelit and close. The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse stages it entirely by candlelight, just feet from your seat.
- Remarkable value. With tickets starting low, it is one of the most rewarding ways to see Shakespeare in London.
