The Hollow Crown is an anthology for stage performance, devised by John Barton in 1960 for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). It presents in dramatic form speeches, documents, gossip and music, associated with the British monarchy. The piece covers the period from William the Conqueror to Queen Victoria. It is written for four speakers, three singers and an accompanist.

Barton drew on many sources for his anthology including the words of English kings and queens, extracts from medieval and 16th and 17th century chronicles, Shakespeare, courtiers, diarists, poets and novelists. The piece remained in the RSC's repertory for more than forty years, with frequent revivals featuring numerous RSC stars.

Background When Peter Hall established the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in 1960 he invited John Barton, a Cambridge don, to become a director. Barton had directed numerous productions for the Marlowe Society;Gaye, p. 346 his first production for the RSC was The Taming of the Shrew starring Peggy Ashcroft and Peter O'Toole. While Barton and Hall were preparing The Wars of the Roses – an epic adaptation of four of Shakespeare's history plays – Barton devised a small-scale anthology, The Hollow Crown, for a one-off Sunday evening performance, as the RSC's contribution to Stratford-upon-Avon's annual poetry festival.

Premieres and production history The Hollow Crown was first given at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, on 4 September 1960, featuring Barton together with Max Adrian, Paul Hardwick and Dorothy Tutin."Kings and queens – their falls and foibles", Stratford-upon-Avon Herald, 26 August 1960, p. 1 The piece was next presented by the RSC at the Aldwych Theatre, London, on 19 March 1961, again as a one-off Sunday performance. Adrian, Barton and Tutin reprised their Stratford performances and Richard Johnson replaced Hardwick; the four musicians were Richard Golding (bass), Kevin Miller (tenor), Eric Shilling (baritone) and James Walker (harpsichord and piano).Barton, p. iii There was no scenery and the cast wore modern evening clothes.Barton, p. vi

Within a year of the premiere several other members of the RSC took part in further performances of The Hollow Crown, including Ashcroft, Tony Church, Marius Goring, Geraldine McEwan and Vanessa Redgrave. During 1962 the RSC presented the piece in Amsterdam and Paris,"Old Vic for Holland Festival", The Stage, 7 June 1962, p. 15; "Best Actress", The Stage, 12 July 1962, p. 1 after which the production toured major North American cities."The Hollow Crown in America", The Stage, 3 January 1963, p. 8 Well into the twenty-first century the show continued to be revived and featured many well-known performers, including Susan Fleetwood, Michael Gough, Alan Howard, Michael Jayston, Barbara Jefford, Michael Redgrave, Ian Richardson, Prunella Scales, Donald Sinden, Janet Suzman, Richard Todd and Harriet Walter.Herbert, pp. 610, 666, 975 and 1189; "The Hollow Crown again", The Stage, 23 November 1967, p. 20; "Limelight", The Stage, 4 April 1968, p. 16; "Return of The Hollow Crown", The Stage, 10 August 1972, p. 17; "Australia", The Stage, 30 January 1975, p. 24; "The unexpurgated Queen Victoria", The Stage, 31 January 1985, p. 23; and "Theatre", The Stage, 10 March 2005, p. 12 Richardson commented that every member of the RSC "present, past or passed-on" had appeared in the production at one time or another.Doran, Gregory. "John Barton", Royal Shakespeare Company. Retrieved 19 June 2026 In 2005 Derek Jacobi and Diana Rigg toured Australia and Canada in the piece, and Howard, Johnson, Sinden and Walter played it at Stratford-upon-Avon."Theatre", The Stage, 10 March 2005, p. 12

Part One

Kings According to Legend and the Chroniclers Prologue – "The Hollow Crown" – from Richard II, Act III, scene ii. The Death of Kings (from John Stow and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle): William I, William II, Henry I, Stephen. Worlde's Bliss – 12th Century Song (bass). An Anonymous Ballad concerning Henry II and Queen Eleanor – "Queen Elanor's Confession" from the Child Ballads. 16th and 17th Century Chroniclers (Raphael Holinshed, Edward Hall, Richard Baker and Winston Churchill) on Henry II, Richard I, John, Henry III, Edward I and Edward II. Ballade by Richard I made during his captivity in Dürnstein Castle (baritone). Richard II surrenders at Flint castle to Henry Tudor (from Froissart's Chronicles, translated by Lord Berners) "A Partial, Prejudiced and Ignorant Historian" (Jane Austen, aged fifteen) on Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I.

The Monarchs Speak for Themselves Henry V – Agincourt Song (tenor, baritone and bass). Drama: Edward III writes a love-letter to the Countess of Salisbury (from Edward III, conjecturally by William Shakespeare among others). "The Queen's Command" – Orlando Gibbons (harpsichord). Diplomacy: Henry VII sends a secret memorandum to his Ambassadors concerning a proposed marriage between himself and the Queen of Naples, and they reply to it. A Speech: Mary denounces the rebellion of Sir Thomas Wyatt, raised in protest against her proposed marriage to Philip II of Spain. Henry VIII – "The King's Hunt" (tenor, baritone and bass). Letters: Henry VIII proposes to Anne Boleyn, a lady in waiting at his court. Anne Boleyn writes to Henry from the Tower before her execution. Song by Anne Boleyn' s brother "Oh, Death, rock her asleep" (tenor). Poems: Henry VI – "Kingdoms are but cares". Henry VIII – "As the Holly groweth green". Elizabeth complains of being importuned with love. Charles II – "I pass all my hours in a shady old grove". Charles II – "Here's a Health unto His Majesty" (tenor, baritone and bass).

Part Two

The Stuarts

James I blows a Counterblast to Tobacco. Charles I confronts John Bradshaw, president of the court, at his trial for high treason and is condemned to death. Ayre by Charles I (tenor). Charles II: marries Catharine of Braganza (from a speech to Parliament and two letters to the Lord Chancellor). is anatomised by the Marquess of Halifax, one of his ministers. The Vicar of Bray upholds the Protestant Succession.

The Illustrious House of Hanover Queen Caroline – The death of George II's wife – Lord Hervey. George II is buried in Westminster Abbey – Horace Walpole. George III discusses the Arts with the novelist and diarist Fanny Burney. George IV is unswathed and interpreted – William Thackeray. The Regency – The madness of George III – Marianne Thornton to E. M. Forster. William IV makes a good start – Charles Greville.

The Victorian Age "A Ballad to an Absent Friend" by Albert, Prince Consort (with words by his brother, Ernest). Queen Victoria describes her coronation at the age of nineteen (from her private journal).

Variations on "God Save the King" – Beethoven (harpsichord)

Epilogue From the Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. Recordings In 1962 Argo, a label in the Decca group, published a two-record set of The Hollow Crown, featuring Adrian, Barton, Johnson and Tutin, with the addition of Tony Church as narrator.Argo LP set RG287 A 1964 film of the RSC production was made by CBS Television and commercially released. The cast comprised Adrian, Barton, Hardwick and Tutin.WorldCat

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