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The Summer Shakespeare Festival, held in Prague Castle between 24th June and 4th September, will feature as its main attraction the play Henry IV, it will be performed by Jan Dolanský, Ladislav Mrkvička, Norbert Lichý and Zdeňka Žádníková, and directed by Lucie Bělohradská.

Henry IV is one of Shakespear’s more exquisitely savoury brews; he mixes friendship with politics, laces it with cold-blooded intrigues, raw ambition and peppers it liberally with insatiable power-lust. The play is masterfully directed by Lucie Bělohradská, who also produced the very successful play Hamlet with Jiří Langmajer.

Two worlds become poignantly entangled in this play – the first one reflects relationships based on cold calculation, the second one is ruled by a merry and light-hearted underworld. The director made some significant changes to the original play and highlighted the dynamics of the political drama. The two main characters, Princes Harry and Falstaff, meet on a stage that represents the world.  The plot thickens into a dramatic, though now familiar story, characterising ambitious politicians, their calculating friendships and their greed driven lust for endless amounts of money.

Jan Dolanský stars as Harry, King Henry is played by Ladislav Mrkvička, Knight Falstaff by Norbert Lichý who is a highly charismatic actor and musician from Ostrava, last year he was awarded the Thalia Award for the best theatre acting performance.

The play was translated by Martin Hilský, the music was composed by Jan P. Muchow, Ondřej Nekvasil was responsible for the set design and Zuzana Ježková designed the costumes. The play will premiere on 24th June in the Supreme Burgrave's House of Prague Castle.

Other than that, the festival will also feature a rerun of performances that have in the past met with much audience success, such as the last year’s hit The Merry Wives of Windsor directed by Jiří Menzel staring Bolek Polívka and Simona Stašova, Macbeth with Veronika Freimanova or Antonius and Cleopatra with Czech and Slovak cast.  

More information about the programme and possible discounts at www.shakespeare.cz.