Nina Bowers and Philip Arditti's play, English Kings Killing Foreigners, now at Soho Theatre, is a passionate and timely critique of nationalism and xenophobia in Shakespeare's Henry V. Created in response to the actors' experiences performing the play at the Globe, this two-hander uses humour and discomfort to interrogate theatre's role in politics.
The show, which started at Camden People's Theatre last year, features Bowers and Arditti playing heightened versions of themselves. Arditti is a Shakespeare fanatic, while Bowers finds the Bard boring. When their show's lead dies, both vie for the role, raising questions about casting a non-English, mixed-race, or queer actor as the king, and whether identity changes the story.
Through energetic debates and playful sketches, the pair tear apart Henry V, highlighting its colonialism, imperialism, and anti-foreign sentiment. The production is frequently funny but deliberately uncomfortable, especially in its final act, where it shifts from telling the audience about the play's harm to making them feel it.
By recontextualising the chorus's prologue, the play illuminates the violence in lines like 'All the youth of England are on fire.' The pair ask what responsibility theatre has in staging such works, and whether a British history play can be reshaped to avoid perpetuating xenophobia.
