Here's why you should make an effort to see Shakespeare's King John this June

It was a chilly, grey spring evening in London.  An expectant, sold-out crowd chattered quietly outside historic Temple Church, waiting for the doors to open on the Globe Theatre company's production of Shakespeare's King John.  It's one of The Bard's least-performed plays and, when I saw the exceptional venue, I knew I needed to book.

The 12th century Temple Church is all that's left of what was the vast and prosperous headquarters of the Knights Templar in London.  It's now hidden away in a warren of Georgian legal buildings off Fleet Street, but its distinctive round ante-church, 13th and 14th century stone effigies and association with the romantically doomed Christian military order mean that a steady stream of tourists find their way there during its opening hours.  Despite WWII bomb damage and extensive restoration, it remains one of the most evocative Medieval spaces in London.  What's more, the building actually served as the royal treasury when King John was on the throne.  What better place to see a play about England's least-loved ruler?

I knew it would be special, but didn't realise how special until we started filing in.  They took us
through the main door, at the end of the round bit, which is never open.  We filed through the early gothic portal to enter the year 1216.  The round church was illuminated only by tall, beeswax tapers.  A forest of them cast a golden glow on the bier of the king, on which he lay at rest in his robes of state, golden crown gleaming above his closed eyes.  Around him, brown-robed monks with their cowls pulled far over their faces processed, holding candles and singing Gregorian chant.  I was so stunned by the scene that for a moment, I forgot where I was and couldn't move.

Then we remembered there was no assigned seating, and made a scramble deeper into the church to find a pew.

Staging theatre here is a brave decision and, without the novelty factor of a little-performed play and the rousing action of the plot, I wouldn't recommend it.  A raised, cross-shaped platform made the stage, with a throne where the altar lay below and the audience seated in four pits below each corner of the cross.  It was a clever way to bring the audience into the action and reminded me of the thrilling experience of seeing a production at the Wanamaker Theatre (reviewed here).  But the elevated stage, forest of columns and division of audience means that everyone has a restricted view, and everyone has bits of dialogue they can't hear.

In King John's case, it doesn't really matter.  This is the Elizabethan equivalent of Sir Kenneth Branagh directing Thor.  Hints of the elegant poetry, masterful plotting and well-placed comic quips are here, but it's mostly a convoluted action flick with a lot of excuses for great costumes and rousing sword fights.  It's not high art, but it's good fun and I can see how it would have been a great hit with 16th century audiences.

The plot basically condenses all of the disasters of John's reign into a short period, as if all of his troubles came in a rapid domino effect, and takes plenty of artistic license.  The character with all the best lines, for example, is Philip Faulconbridge, an almost entirely fictional riff on Richard the Lionheart's one documented, illegitimate son.  Eleanor of Aquitaine makes a magnificent appearance in her traditional role as one of the most powerful women in history, while her daughter-in-law Lady Constance turns up to portray a particularly vicious mother-in-law nightmare.  In fact, the strength of the female roles is one of the best things about this play.

The plot is a complicated one, and I'd strongly suggest brushing up on the history before you go.  Shakespeare manages to pack in the papal interdict, battles over John's legitimacy on the throne, court intrigue, rebellion, French invasion, young lovers torn apart by politics and a nephew and potential heir to the throne who dies in mysterious circumstances while in his uncle's care.  The latter, of course, must have been a plot twist so compelling Shakespeare revisited it in Richard III a few years later.

This certainly isn't one of Shakespeare's masterpieces, and I wouldn't bring any first timers to whom you're trying to give a sense of what makes the man great.  It's great fun, however, carries on at a rapid pace and is elevated by a strong cast, many playing multiple roles.  Music plays a strong role throughout, in both church and folk forms, so much so you could call this a Medieval musical.

The Temple Church performances have concluded, but King John returns for a 20-performance run at The Globe in June.  You won't have the frisson of dropping in on a Medieval funeral or sitting amongst tombs, but I'll wager you'll be able to hear more of the dialogue.  One performance is already sold out.  I'd recommend that any Shakespeare fans who'd appreciate bragging rights on seeing his least-seen play, or appreciators of rip-roaring action, get to booking now.