Reviewed 4/9/05
Arguably William Shakespeare’s most testosterone-infused play, Henry V celebrates the king responsible for uniting England and France under the English flag after overcoming 5-to-1 odds in the fields of Agincourt. With a cast of 15 men to two women, this is a guy’s play that requires a large amount of strong actors to pull off. Director Kathleen Brant and Southwest Shakespeare have found the actors with such trustworthy performers as Kyle Sorrell, Scott Dillon, Christian Miller, and Joe Kremer. Their two women (Katherine Stewart doubling as the French Princess Katherine and the Chorus and Andrea Pruseau doubling as the Hostess of the Inn and Katherine’s handmaiden Alice) are easily able to hold their own in this male-dominated group. The Bard’s words are as white hot as always, and this revision is well considered. James Knight’s performance as the young Harry is full of energy. With all of these positives, and in their final production under the stars at Mesa Amphitheatre, you’d think this would have been an amazing show. Despite everything, I found myself uninspired.
A halfway Harry? I’m stumped. Was it because of the
myriad of odd choices made by Brant? These include such things as turning
James Ward’s King Charles VI of France and Michael
Bailey as his son
the Dauphin into a couple of comedic goof balls and her and costumer Annette
Crismon’s initially putting the cast into desert fatigues which were
ever-present under their period costumes. Was it that despite the enthusiasm
of the cast as a whole, there didn’t really seem to be any connections
to each other? Was it because this Harry is such a modern creation that he’s
almost too human? Was it a lacking of that intangible “heart” thing
that is hard to define but easy to note when missing? I just can’t
pin it down.
Knight is hearty and loud, rousing when necessary, especially during his St. Crispin’s speech, but his interactions are exceedingly casual and modern, as the dress beneath the costumes suggests. Rather than an awkward wooing scene between him and a very cute and demure Stewart, we are treated to a brusque “Aw shucks” without the underlying charm. I just didn’t feel compelled either way by that and many other scenes.
There are wonderful performances here. Stewart’s performance is excellent as she quickly switches modes between prompter and Princess. Kremer’s understated French Constable is full of energy. Jason Barth and David Edmunds play their roles with aplomb. Despite being unwisely asked to play their roles as idiots, Ward and Bailey do well and humorously what they have been asked to do.
The design elements are part of the odd choices. Beyond the inexplicable choice of the costumes, Katherina Hantke offers a set that is better in theory but sinks in execution. At the center of the stage is a fortress, which is a cool look, but it includes a functioning drawbridge that takes a little too long to open and close. Dori Brown’s lighting is uniformly excellent. Once again, David Barker’s fight choreography is a treat to witness.
This production of Henry V isn’t awful. It isn’t remarkable, either. All that I can say is that it’s just not engrossing. You can enjoy the technical impressiveness from afar, but the moments of transcendence don’t.
