by William Shakespeare.
Relocated in an age of technological warfare, King John emerges as a brooding play of schemes where innocence cannot see the light of day.
With Jane Slavin, Christopher Good, Charles Simpson , John Gabriel and James Greene.
Music Eninsturzende Neubauten
Adaptor/Director Clive Brill

Timeless power play
History repeats itself as Shakespeare's 'King John' is translated to a high-tech world
R3 MODERN-DRESS SHAKESPEARE on radio? 'Why not?' asks producer Clive Brill, who tonight conjures a bleak, 20th-century vision of King John, full of the sounds of tanks and guns, phones and faxes. In this time of political opportunism and European upheaval, Brill sees ample modern parallels to justify relocating the play in an age of technological warfare. 'Ah, none but in this iron age would do it!' says the unfortunate Prince Arthur as his captor threatens to put his eyes out with hot irons. The line suggested a quite different 'iron age' to Brill, who has all the messengers reporting back to the king on walkie-talkies.
'The play is a great political thriller,' says Brill. 'On the surface it's about patriotism and internal division, but it's full of Machievellis whose relevance is obvious in these times of acute political back-stabbing. Famous speeches like "This England never did, nor never shall/Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror" have given it a chauvinistic edge but I think the patriotism is rather tacked on.'
Jack Shepherd, who plays the tormented king, believes that the concept works powerfully on radio: 'It blows away the old conventions and sounds very exciting. With all those clattering computers you could be in a science-fiction world, but with the East European dictators falling so recently it's easy to see John caught in the same sort of psychological trap. He becomes more of a megalomaniac as the play progresses and is a neurotic wreck by the end.'
Shepherd, recently in the National Theatre's The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus has enjoyed some major Shakespearean parts along the way (Hamlet, Malvolio, Puck) but says: 'Shakespeare is something I've done when it's turned up, like a sort of luxury. I think King John is very cleverly written - a political play but with no mention of the Magna Carta! But then Shakespeare always was rather cynical of popular
movements.' (David Gillard)
King John, 7.30pm Radio 3