The latest stage version of William Shakespeare's historic epic Henry V is currently playing to packed-out audiences at the Noel Coward Theatre on London's West End, with critics being particularly taken by lead man Jude Law, who portrays the embattled monarch in Michael Grandage's take on the show.

Jude Law
Jude Law is being roundly praised for his depiction of Henry V

The last instalment of the Michael Grandage Company’s season on the West End, it may also be the best too, thanks largely to the star performance from its lead performer. After a successful 15-month season, consisting of five plays each performed at the Noel Coward Theatre, Henry V marks the end of Grandage's triumphant run, but he couldn't have ended things on higher note. Whilst praise has been distributed to the direction and stage design for the show, it is Law's lead performance that has captured critics and audiences alike, as the Dom Hemingway actor continues his good run of form as a critically acclaimed acting talent.

"This is one of the richest and most detailed performances of Henry V that I have ever seen," a thoroughly impressed Charles Spencer of The Telegraph said in his five-star review. He goes on to reflect on the play ambirably, calling it "fleet and dramatically gripping."

Jude Law Don Hemmingway
Is this Law's best performance to date?

The Guardian's Michael Billington wasn't as blown away with the production as a whole, awarding it only four out of a possible five stars, but he was just as awe-struck by Law's performance as his Telegraph contemporary was. Saying Law delivers a "a fine portrait of a flawed hero," Billington adds, "Like the recent Donmar Anna Christie, it also shows Jude Law maturing with age and getting under the skin of a character. His complex portrait of a national hero-cum-war criminal is, you could say, the very antithesis of a hooray Henry."