A History of the RSC in 50 Objects (Online)

POSTER

The Plantagenets, 1988

Director: Adrian Noble
Adapter: Charles Wood

The Plantagenets were three plays adapted from Shakespeare's Henry VI trilogy and his Richard III. The adaptation came 25 years after The Wars of the Roses which was adapted from the same plays and directed by Peter Hall in 1963.

Noble was enthusiastic about the opportunities for the whole company because of the large number of characters in the original plays. He also valued the legacy of The Wars of the Roses which he felt had opened the door to social and political interpretations of Shakespeare's work. The Plantagenets were staged at a time of mounting opposition to the Conservative Government headed by Margaret Thatcher.