Henry IV Part One

 

Henry IV Part One is my favorite Shakespeare play but it a bitch to produce. There is all that history which Elizabethans would have known because it was part of their near history. Add to that all those fight scenes and you have a lot to deal with outside of the text and scene work. Orson Welles’ greatest movie, Chimes At Midnight, is a masterful retelling of Henry IV Part One and Two plus a little Merry Wives of Windsor. He purpose was to make it more the story of Falstaff, Shakespeare’s greatest creation. I must have seen some six or eight different productions as well as being a part of two myself. I feel I know this play.

The problem with the current production at A Noise Within is that the director also plays Falstaff. This isn’t a movie that you can film over and over to get it right. When the director has to deal with all that history, those fights (here well choreographed by Kenneth R. Merckx who also plays The Douglas), and also play the lead takes a lot of chutzpa. As a result the play often seems a collection of speeches tied together at a fairly swift pace. I am sure with time the actors will do what actors do and gradually fill the characters, talk instead of speechify, and play the scenes. For now, certain scenes just lay there waiting to be explored not just “Acted”.

Geoff Elliot who is the director and plays Falstaff has some wonderful moments and carefully chosen places to shine. But his performance seems all too calculated punctuated by an “old man shuffle” sing-song voice and fat suit.  He is not helped by the fact that there are two older actors with him in the play that belies his age makeup. His is the same mistake that Kevin Klein made recently in New York. Neither of them is right temperamentally to play the role of Falstaff at least at their respected ages (Klein is older). They are romantic, heroic, leading men not really character actors though it can be argued that ever role is a character role.  Elliot is a wonderful actor and his performance may grow and far be it from me to say he shouldn’t have attempted it.

All this is not to say there aren’t some fine performances. I liked Jill Hill’s Mistress Quickly, Steve Weingatners’s Worchester, William Dennis Hunt’s Bardolph (a delight), and Robertson Dean’s Henry (Though he may be too young to play it). Freddy Douglas is a terrific Prince Hal and I hope he gets to play Hal in the complete history cycle. He is a Brit and his speech really contrasted with most of the rest of the cast. Everything he said was understandable. I once wanted to see “bad “ English Shakespeare so I went to a pub to see this play. The cast would run from one end of the bar (the Court) to the other (Tavern). Silly yes but every word was clear. Guess they have it in there genes.

Lastly a special "huzzah," "bravo”, a" well done" to J. Todd Adams’ Hotspur. The role is flashy (Olivier chose to play that rather than Hal) and Adams gives it his all. I am used to seeing him play comedy, which he does extremely well. Who know he could take his shirt off, show his ripped body, and tear into a dramatic character. I have known Todd since he was an apprentice at the Utah Shakespearean Festival where he stole the show, playing Simple in Merry Wives of Windsor. I love seeing his growth and strength as an actor.

Go see this production. Nothing revolutionary here but it is quite respectable and will grow with time. Through May 18th at A Noise Within in Glendale.