Theatre review: Henry V (Open Air Theatre)

It's a year of gender-flipped and gender-blind Shakespeare, with a particular emphasis on giving women a shot at more good roles, and until Glenda Jackson's Lear arrives the most high-profile example must be Future Dame Michelle Terry as Henry V at the Open Air Theatre. It's not at the forefront of Robert Hastie's production but the lead actor's gender is acknowledged: During the opening speech the Chorus (Charlotte Cornwell, unsure of her lines) seems to be choosing who to give the role to, passing over more obvious choices to give the crown to Terry's slight figure. Appropriately Alex Bhat, who looks most put out to be overlooked in favour of a woman, later returns as Henry's would-be nemesis the Dauphin, pointedly sending the king a gift of the balls she doesn't have (although as we know from Cleansed, Terry does have a cock now.)

Theatre review: Between Us

Really quite an odd little play settles into Arcola Studio 2 at the moment, as a therapist tries her hand at stand-up comedy in Sarah Daniels' Between Us. Julia's (Charlotte Cornwell) comedy act provides the narration for a play that sees her try to reconnect with Kath (Georgina Rich,) the daughter she gave up for adoption. This story is interspersed with monologues from two of her patients, whose confessions in the therapist's chair also touch on relationships between parents and children. Some years earlier, Teresa (Rich) came to see Julia to unburden herself about her problems raising her own two adopted children, and the realisation that she can't cope. A more recent client is Dave (Callum Dixon,) who's depressed since the birth of his daughter. His fears for her future stem from an event in his past that dovetail unexpectedly with Teresa's confessions.