Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I, opens with political drama as the recently crowned King Henry finds himself in a world of governmental trouble. But he has other problems on his mind as his son, Prince Hal, takes to frequenting taverns with a sordid company of thieves, drunkards and whores. Hal's friend, the incredibly portly Sir. John Falstaff, is a scoundrel, but also an incredibly humorous man who fills a sort of fatherly role. Prince Hal finds his loyalty divided between his father and Falstaff, a tug of war made all the more interesting due to the casting of one actor in both roles. When King Henry's enemies declare war, Hal must make a choice to assume his responsibilities as heir apparent before civil war claims England.
In this production, nine actors play seventeen parts. Three standout performances come from the actors who play the most familiar characters, Hotspur, Prince Hal, and King Henry IV/Falstaff. Andrew Kane's Hotspur is full of rage and passion to the point where the audience is even drawn into believing in the justice to be found through his schemes. Even in his greatest moments of anger, his diction is impressive. Allen Radway is an impeccable blend of humor and seriousness as Prince Hal. His shift from drunken tavern prankster to true Prince, accepting his responsibilities is fully believable. Overall, Radway is at his best in the scenes which feature banter between Prince Hal and Falstaff. Peter Pryor doubles as Henry IV and Falstaff. It's hard to say which role he performs better as they each involve very different acting skill sets, however, being one of the most beloved Shakespearean character, it is not surprising that his Falstaff steals the show. As King Henry Pryor demonstrates a mix of regal bearing and temper. His Falstaff on the other hand is a real clown. Pryor examines this by changing his physicality, not simply by donning a fat suit, but also adopting a new way of moving. His comedic timing and intonation are perfection to the point that the audience often laughed when he did something as simple as walk on stage. The six other actors - Mary Lee Bednarek, David Blatt, Rachael Joffred, Jered McLenigan, Tim Moyer and Russ Widdall - play multiple roles, rounding out the cast of characters. Their ability to completely differ their personas to the point at which the actor becomes unrecognizable is a tribute both to their acting and the direction of Charles McMahon.
Meghan Jones' thrust stage design is a simple wood set which provides multiple levels and many entrances and exits for the actors to work with. The set and the simple wood furniture are easily transformed to help transition locations. The set changes are incredibly smooth and choreographed. The sound design provided by Nick Rye is very modern and helps with these set changes as well. Mark Mariani's costume design is incredibly successful, with the exception of a rather lumpy fat suit, completely disguising the actors in their switches between characters. The lighting design by Drew Billiau and Christopher Hetherington is at times beautiful and on other occasions slightly problematic, leaving the actors in areas of darkness without any reason. The fight direction by J. Alex Cordaro is incredibly realistic in the one on one fights, made even more real by the actors' proximity to the audience.
While the production is traditional, it is still very accessible for a modern audience and Shakespeare's script is well served by all elements of the show. The Lantern's production of Henry IV, Part I provides a perfect blend of comedy, action and politics.
Henry IV, Part I plays at the Lantern Theater Company now through May 2nd. For more information please see the official press release.
