Page "Henry VI, Part 3" Paragraph 85

Another major adaptation was staged in 1986 by the English Shakespeare Company, under the direction of Michael Bogdanov.

This touring production opened at the Old Vic, and subsequently toured for two years, performing at, amongst other places, the Panasonic Globe Theatre in Tokyo, Japan ( as the inaugural play of the arena ), the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy and at the Adelaide Festival of Arts in Adelaide, Australia.

Following the structure established by Barton and Hall, Bogdanov combined 1 Henry VI and the first half of 2 Henry VI into one play, and the second half of 2 Henry VI and 3 Henry VI into another, using the same titles as Barton ( Henry VI and The Rise of Edward IV ).

Also like Barton and Hall, Bogdanov concentrated on political issues, although he made them far more overt than had his predecessors.

For example, played by June Watson, Margaret was closely modelled after the British Prime Minister at the time, Margaret Thatcher, even to the point of having similar clothes and hair.

Likewise, Paul Brennan's Henry was modelled after the King Edward VIII, prior to his abdication.

Bogdanov also employed frequent anachronisms and contemporary visual registers, in an effort to show the relevance of the politics in the fifteenth century to the contemporary period.

The production was noted for its pessimism as regards contemporary British politics, with some critics feeling the political resonances were too heavy handed.

However, the series was a huge box office success.

Alongside Watson and Brennan, the play starred Philip Bowen as Edward and Andrew Jarvis as Richard.