Brighton Fringe 2025
Low Down
After Agincourt is a solo theatrical piece by Peter Mottley, performed during Brighton Fringe 2025 by Gareth David-Lloyd. It ran at the Rotunda Theatre: Bubble in Regency Square from 10 to 15 May. The production, directed by Paul Olding and presented by The Crooked Billets theatre company, centres on the character of Pistol from Shakespeare’s Henry V. Delivered as an extended monologue, the play is set several years after the events of the Battle of Agincourt.
The setting is the Boar’s Head Tavern, where Pistol reflects on the events of 1415, recounting his personal experiences in the campaigns at Harfleur and Agincourt. He speaks of the execution of fellow soldiers Bardolph and Nym for stealing, the killing of a young servant boy, and the slow death of Falstaff following his rejection by King Henry V. Pistol’s recollections call into question the heroic image often associated with Henry, instead suggesting a more self-serving figure who neglected the suffering of his men.
The performance uses contemporary language and is supported by a sound and lighting design by Venus Raven. The play focuses on the psychological and social impact of war, especially for the lower ranks, offering a ground-level view of military life and loss.
Review
After Agincourt at the Rotunda, Regency Square, Brighton 1830 — 13th, 14th, and 15th May
Shakespeare’s Henry V is represented as a hero, but in Peter Mottley’s play, Gareth David-Lloyd as Pistol delivers a monologue interpreting the perspective of an ordinary soldier. Pistol is drinking in the Boar’s Head, slowly revealing his anger towards the king as the rules of war are used to cover up atrocities that happen. His two comrades are hanged for petty thieving from a church. He agrees this is a foolish theft but undeserving of the punishment — and even more unforgivable, a young lad being slaughtered.
The depths of emotion, from anger to sorrow and the horror of battle, are described in gruesome detail. He also, as a fighting soldier, shows his empathy for how the enemy suffered. The brutality of war and the class divide between the ordinary soldier and the officers is highlighted. Pistol reveals his love for the 14-year-old who died looking after the luggage, cradling him in his arms as he did when he was a babe, and also how Falstaff starved himself to death after Henry V expressed his contempt for his unruly behaviour. His last words were to the effect, ‘My feet are as cold as ice.’ When Nell checks his feet and feels upwards, she realises he is icy and that he is dead. Nell dies of the pox before Pistol returns from Calais. Pistol regrets he did not let her accompany him to Staines as he went off to war.
Although the scenes described are graphic, this is a compelling show which has wit, gritty reality, and pertinent quotes from the play. A tour de force. A must-see show.
Guest review by Alanna MacIntyre.
