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2007
3rd Annual Shakespeare Festival
at
THE LEVITT PAVILLION
in Memorial Park, Old Pasadena
“HENRY V"
by William Shakespeare
September 7th, 8th & 9th
September 14th, 15th & 16th
All performances start @ 7:30 p.m.
FREE TO THE PUBLIC
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EXCERPTS FROM A REVIEW OF “HENRY V"
By by Matthew Burgos
PlayShakespeare.com
Outdoor Shakespeare can feel as natural as any artistic marriage. It can also provide numerous atmospheric challenges for actors, directors, and designers alike. Between the sounds of nature and industry, and the visual distractions surrounding the audience, playing the Bard outdoors can make it difficult to focus on the text. Crown City Theatre Company’s production of Henry V succeeds in conquering the obstacles of nature.
The text of Henry V is a fascinating magnification of the private lives of those involved in war. The dichotomy of a ruler attempting to understand and be one of his own people is as timely a story line as it is challenging. Lamb aggressively addresses the issue by staging the history play a la 1960’s story theatre. The presentational style, often used in political and social protest, functionally addresses issues by commenting on the narrative and simplifying the symbolism.
Setting down a blanket on the beautiful lawn of Memorial Park in Old Town Pasadena creates an exquisite evening atmosphere for Shakespeare’s lovely words. Levitt Pavilion, essentially a band shell, is slightly crowded with highly-stylized flats painted with the production’s logo. The bright colors and patterns are admittedly distracting, and detract from the “Story Theatre" style by pulling focus from the artists’ vital words.
The costumes and props are simple and help tell the story. Wearing mostly black with splashes of red or blue, the color choices give the audience a clear picture of the two warring camps. There is nothing too exciting about the aesthetic, but the characters are easily identifiable.
Lamb’s staging is inventive and courageous, pushing the envelope with representational movement and live sound effects. The actors must be commended for their commitment and bravery, as they give great effort to the challenging style.
Matthew J. Williamson gives the role of the young King Henry a strong vitality with a good dose of charm. Nicole J. Adelman plays a variety of roles including Catherine, the Princess of France with great energy and skill. Dennis Benjamin is consistent and enjoyable as Captain Fluellen, adding necessary humor and character physicality throughout the production. Joanne Marie and Mary Ferguson play a Greek Chorus of sorts with a strong handle on the language and style. Both play other characters with fair range and complete commitment to the larger-than-life style. Andrew Graves also gives an extremely colorful performance, doing an excellent job of standing out from the set and staging for his brief moments on the stage. The rest of the ensemble cast maintains the integrity of performance throughout, keeping the audience engaged despite the detached ambiance of the production.
At the end of a cool Fall evening, hearing Shakespeare’s thoughts on a completely relevant issue in the fresh air remains enjoyable thanks to the care and heart put into Crown City Theatre Company’s production of Henry V. Though the environment and presentation may make one yearn for a more intimate connection with “Harry’s" men before battle, the actors do a fine job of bringing the words and private moments of the soldiers and royalty back home to the audience. If you’re seeking a relaxing evening that requires only a blanket, a picnic basket and an appreciation for a rarely presented piece, Henry V might be just what you’ve been looking for.
In this uncertain time of war and conscience it seems “Henry V" is a strange choice for our one show in the park. However, I do not believe that it is a play about war or of God choosing sides. I believe it is a play about leadership.
Henry is a great leader filled with: sincere courage; moral judgement; an understanding of the common man; and, a keen sense of justice. Henry seeks advice before going to war. He deals out justice to those accused as they themselves would convict others. He treats his conquered adversaries with kindness and respect and commands his army to do the same. He strives to unite rather than destroy.
Shakespeare, however, makes no clear statement as to whether it is a just war or not. In fact when Henry disquises himself and speaks to his army as an equal, he says the King’s cause is “just and his quarrel honorable." He is answered with, “that’s more than we know. Ay, or more than we should seek after." His people follow him out of loyalty and although they are outnumbered they fight with passion. Why? Because of the strength of Henry’s conviction and that he marches into battle with them to face the enemy the same as them – shoulder to shoulder. He says, “for he that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother."
I personally may not believe in war as an answer, but I understand the reasons for it. I proudly stand behind our troops that go into battle with honor in order to protect our way of life. This is perhaps our thank you letter to the men and women who bravely join our armed forces and put their lives on the line for our freedom.
ABOUT THE STYLE:
I chose to give this production the feel of the late 1960’s early 1970’s to go along with the emergence of “Story Theatre" as a way of creating art. It was a time of protest against an unpopular war, but moreover it was a time of expression beyond the norm. Henry V uses the Ancient Greek theatre convention of a Chorus, which fits into the Story Theatre mold as a narrator or narrators. Using an ensemble cast we can create the scenes that are described by the narrator in the same manner used in the days when Story Theatre was first popularized. Also, since this show is a history of England (slightly fictionalized) I thought it important to use the accents of the many countrymen who came together to create the English army and to play up the humor of Shakespeare’s take on the French at a time when it was popular to make fun of their neighbors across the pond. We mean no offence.
Check out the MAP/INFO page for directions, trasportation info
and general information about the park.
For further information email us at info@crowncitytheatre.com
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