"Capable, but Uninspired": Evaluating Frank Benson's Hesitant/Heroic History Cycles

Sir Frank Benson led his company to great success in regular appearances at the Stratford-upon-Avon festival from 1889 to 1913, yet he is condemned to receiving lukewarm praise as someone who made good productions, but not great ones. One of his lasting legacies in theatre history is the first presentation of Shakespeare's history cycle on the English stage, though his productions were quite unlike any seen since. This article investigates the circumstances surrounding the three productions of the histories which Benson produced in 1901, 1905 and 1906, reporting on their reception and analysing the productions' direction and value. In doing so it also grapples with the controversy surrounding Benson who was upheld by the Stratford audience as a leading exponent of the bard, while simultaneously being criticised by the London and national press for uninspiring performances. It argues that Benson's presentation of Shakespeare's history adhere to a model not since seen in theatre, whereby the focus was less upon connected dramatic narrative so much as a historical parade that often jumped across plays to instead present a linear progression of monarchs on display rather than the cyclical repetition of foreshadowing and retrospect that later directors of the history plays would rest upon.