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Fiddling with the Bard can be a scary proposition. Many dare to make changes to the works of the greatest English- speaking dramatist, but few are capable of making those works better. When told that Actors Theatre of Phoenix' Artistic Director, the talented Matthew Wiener, intended to condense the six-and-a-half hour Elizabethan mini-series Henry V Parts I and II into a ninety minute version, trepidations naturally arose. Despite these fears, Mr. Wiener has managed to give a Cliff Notes version of the wild and triumphant King's battles with France that is easy to follow, enjoyable, and, while there are flaws, still very impressive.
King Harry was the youthful monarch who overcame his initial wildness to become a spectacular leader. Throughout his remarkable battles with France, the King was constantly unsure of his true rights to the throne, and felt responsible for his sins and those of his family that resulted in his accession. This drove him onward, making him overcome impossible odds and succeed where many others would have failed, even resulting in his becoming the leader of a combined England and France with his wooing and marriage to the French king's daughter, Catherine.
To slim down the convoluted story, Mr. Wiener has taken many liberties with events. He has not necessarily changed their order, but has presented the very basics to keep the show moving. One of the few problems with his thinner script is the necessary deferrals to the audience. We are constantly reminded in narrative that much is going on that cannot be portrayed, almost to a fault. Less deferral and more description might have been helpful. Also a seemingly unconquerable problem with this undertaking is the unshakable feeling that this is a highlight reel, which dramatically means that the action of the piece is almost constantly at a high level. There is little room for King Harry to do anything but shout or pray, and little room for levity as the tension remains constant until the final wooing of Catherine.
These small concerns aside, Actors Theatre of Phoenix' production of the shortened epic is very impressive. To portray the cast of hundreds that parade through the show, an ensemble of six men and one woman work with or against David Medina's high strung Harry. Mr. Medina's over-the-top performance lacks a bit of shading for most of the play (through more of a textual fault rather than a performance flaw), but he is able to offer the softer side of his character by his final, enjoyable wooing of Catherine. And, save for one performer, the ensemble shines.
Everyone, save for Bob Sorenson, is able to transform themselves through their various roles swiftly and believably. An example of this is the awe-inspiring Molly Schaffer, who manages to be Harry's cousin in several scenes, then transform magically into the bewitching Catherine at the end of the show. Also impressive was Ken Love in his combinations as English conscript and (ironically) the King of France, and Richard Trujillo as English noble and the haughty Dauphin. Wonderful performances come from David Barker, Gerald Burgess and Mark De Michele. Unfortunately, Mr. Sorenson is not as malleable a performer as the others, and was unable to give his various characters the gradations necessary to differentiate them well.
Mr. Wiener's staging is just as intriguing as his adaptation, although he seems to be getting too consistent with his visual choices from production to production. The set, designed by Gage Williams, is a chrome and black affair that prominently displays the name Henry V on a metal wall behind. While the sparseness of the raked stage and limited set pieces are effective to allow the audience to move their imaginations from the court of Harry to the fields of Agincourt, the modern feel of the set and Susan Johnson- Hood's costumes seems inconsistent with the definite grounding in medieval times within the rest of the script. Very impressive was Paul Black's lighting design, which captured every mood wonderfully, and Ricky Tambor's percussion throughout was just as effective.
The Essential Henry V's intensive script, interesting visuals and wonderful performances overcome any slight hesitations of the production. This is a bold attempt by Mr. Wiener and Actors Theatre of Phoenix, and its overall success is a testament to this company's impressive talent and risk- taking.
Production Details:
"The Essential Henry V" by William Shakespeare,
adapted by
Matthew Wiener
Actor's Theatre of Phoenix
Herberger Theatre Stage West, Phoenix
253-6701 or 252-8497
October 10th-October 26th, 1997
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