Theatre / Rockspeare Henry Sixth Part Two, written by Billy Shake, directed by Lexi Sekuless, at The Mill Theatre, Fyshwick, October 10. Reviewed by SIMONE PENKETHMAN. 

Rockspeare Henry Sixth Part Two is a tight, energetic and fun reimagining of William Shakespeare’s Henry Sixth Part Two. It is the second instalment in Shakespeare’s first tetralogy, chronicling the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York. 

Mill Theatre is an intimate, flexible space. For this show the audience is seated in four quadrants and surrounded by action.

Kathleen Kershaw’s scenic set design transforms the room into a grimy, British underground space with a punk aesthetic. Black walls are stylishly painted by Letitia Stewart with brick work and red and white graffiti that makes cheeky references to the ongoing wars in France and power struggles among the English monarchy and nobility. Two painted dogs, one red and one white appear locked in a fight to the death.

The nimble cast of five players jumps in and out of multiple roles. The fourth wall is permeable as they make snappy, on-stage costume changes and banter about who is playing whom.

Sekuless is an experienced and innovative director of Shakespeare. This play can run for three hours but Sekuless has skilfully cut the running time down to a manageable 90 minutes that includes plenty of choreographed action underpinned by a rocking soundtrack.

It is puzzling that the while the online program notes that, “the music inherent in Shakespeare’s poetry is amplified with an original soundscape”, there is no credit for composition or sound design.

Nonetheless, the overall production design and operation is seamless, coherent and enjoyable. Tania Jobson’s costumes are fabulous and there are some outstanding performances from the cast.

This show follows on from Sekuless’ Henry Sixth Part One in 2023. This reviewer hopes we can look forward to next instalment in 2025.