Catch this while you can; it's hilarious. Comedy has always been Creation's forte, and this sparklingly silly production really makes the history come alive. I was amazed to find that there's so much comedy in the actual text of a history play: Creation dig it out, polish it up and force it to pull its weight. Shades of Monty Python and 'Allo 'Allo stalk this three-man show, and this means we can relate to the story as the Elizabethan audience would have related to the memes drawn upon by their own actors.

The result provides a great foil to the serious bits, which are thus all the more moving. I shall remember for a long time standing in a crowd being harangued in the blue half-light by the impassioned King from the top of the Castle Mound. On the other hand, I shall never look at leeks in the same way again.

It is a promenade production and I found the audience-herding between scenes smooth and well-managed. Pace Nedals, below, I thought the various settings worked really well to establish a geographical reality - territories are alloted as in a children's game, and this really helps avoid the confusions engendered by three actors playing at least four speaking characters each (and two armies). It is something to consider, however, if you are movement-impaired or have trouble standing for the duration of a scene. There are some real chairs at each location as well as rugs, steps etc for the hoi polloi.

It's a very impressionistic production - effects are created with lighting, charisma and a handful of props. But the props are as carefully and thoughtfully created as a musician's box of tricks, and the physical theatre is very skilled. The brief scene of shipping to France, for example, blitzed through my disbelief without any effort on my part. The three actors (Morgan Philpott, Christopher York and Rhys King) are a great team. Rhys King in particular displays the rather thrilling skill of a chameleon as he flips from role to role.

It's £22-£27, which is on the steep side for an evening's entertainment this far from London, but it is very, very much worth seeing: take advantage of however many warm nights we have left before the 14th of September and make sure you don't miss it.

You can in fact see all the Henry History plays in one week - the Henry VI trilogy is being presented by the Globe on Tour at the Playhouse 10th - 14th Sept.

Staging a convincing battle of Agincourt with only three actors can’t be easy, but Creation’s Rhys King, Morgan Philpott and Christopher York rose magnificently to the challenge, assisted by some excellent sound effects and large quantities of tomato ketchup.  Ketchup bottles wielded in anger were just one of many comic highlights in a play that was enjoyed by all ages on a beautiful evening at Oxford Castle.

In fact this is an ideal play to take children to; not only is it both funny and educational but they don’t even have to sit down throughout.  Making superb use of the different spaces around the Castle, the play ‘promenades’ around at least six locations.  Despite some initial huffing and puffing as the audience gathered itself up from the steps beside the 1071 Café and squeezed between the buildings to spill into the Castle Garden, everyone soon got used to following the actors around the various stages and it gave the play an unusual momentum and sense of place. 

Oxford Castle doubled perfectly as Agincourt Castle and a wall with a barred gate opposite a handily located balcony made the King’s threats to a besieged Harfleur thoroughly believable.  Particularly striking was Philpott’s King Henry V’s speech from the top of the Castle Mound with a red sunset behind him.  Obviously the sunset can’t be guaranteed but the beauty of open air theatre is that every night is different and the atmosphere of the play subtly gains intimacy with the fading of the light. 

Props were minimal but superbly well deployed, six wooden suitcases turning into everything from a scaffold to a lookout tower and containing various items of clothing to help with character identification as the actors switched rapidly between roles.  However, the actors really needed no help from the costumes as their extraordinary virtuosity ensured that characters were easily identifiable from the way they both talked and moved.  Changing in a second from British nobles to lords of the French Court, or from an incomprehensible Glaswegian to a toffee-nosed English officer (Philpott), the constant switching accentuated the comedy of the play, which was brilliantly manipulated by all three actors. There were some wonderfully camp performances, many evoking a combination of The Goon Show and (Compare the) Meerkats, with particular hilarity provoked by Rhys King and Christopher York’s portrayal of the French princess Catherine learning English from her maid Alice.  Rhys King’s sulky King of France contrasted perfectly with Morgan Philpott’s macho Henry V and Christopher York’s Welshman, though delivered with more than a hint of Scarborough, was highly entertaining.

Indeed, the actors appeared to be thoroughly enjoying themselves throughout in a play which enabled them to demonstrate an extraordinary range and depth of acting skills at quite breath-taking speed.  Gus Gallagher is to be congratulated for adapting this classic so perfectly for three players and for selecting three such talented and versatile actors for the various roles.

This really is an unmissable treat for both young and old and would be the ideal way to introduce children to Shakespeare as it is simply so much fun.  Just be careful not to trip over the lights or the tennis balls…