Tell the truth and shame the devil, Shakespeare’s history plays never have been among my favorites, so I am pleased to note (as briefly as possible) that Theatre for a New Audience at last completes its long-held mission to present them all with its solid revival of Henry IV. Purposefully adapted by playwright-actor Dakin Matthews and previously staged by Lincoln Center Theater in 2003 with a starry cast led by Kevin Kline’s Falstaff, Henry IV compresses Henry IV, Part One and Henry IV Part Two into a single three-act drama. Cutting, editing and rearranging somewhat Shakespeare’s texts, Matthews provides a cogent, respectful version of the plays crafted to emphasize the evolving father-and-son relationships at the heart of this saga of two 15th century noble English families at war.
TFANA’s production of Henry IV, which opened Sunday, is capably directed by Bedlam artistic director Eric Tucker in the vigorous house style of his bare-bones troupe. The result is a brisk rendition of the story performed in a little under four quick hours (including two intermissions) that showcases the versatility of a 16-actor ensemble. Key to Tucker’s enjoyable staging is how the flexible 299-seat Polonsky Shakespeare Center space has been configured by scenic designer Jimmy Stubbs into an arena to keep the performers in close circumstances with spectators. Often they occupy “offstage” seats along the four aisles leading to the central acting area, which is simply a green and white chessboard. Peripheral areas around the auditorium harbor clothes racks of 15th-century garments that the actors resort to whenever they switch their characters, which many of them do frequently. These quick-changes from courtier to commoner, from archbishop to bar-owner and back again are smoothly accomplished and add theatricality to the event. Giving the visuals authenticity and beauty – and certainly enabling the actors to realize their characters – are the cunningly detailed period costumes mostly made in many shades of browns, blacks and metal designed by Catherine Zuber and AC Gottlieb, who brighten the House of Lancaster royals with flashes of red among their garb.
While Jay O. Sanders presents a delightful Falstaff – more about him in a bit – the production is notable as well in that Dakin Matthews portrays King Henry IV in his own adaptation of the dramas. Performing in what likely may be the climax of his sixty-year career, Matthews daringly depicts the ageing Henry as a curmudgeon whose querulous disposition alienates his son and others. During the latter parts of the play, Matthews shows Henry turning ever more distrustful and feeble in contrast to the increasingly confident figure of his son Prince Hal. Incidentally, Matthews recently appeared in The Gilded Age (as a wealthy old geezer wed to a onetime lady’s maid), so it’s possible that representatives of that HBO series will see his show. If so, they will witness (and hopefully employ in future) more than a dozen actors neatly interpreting numerous Shakespearean characters in clearly spoken American accents.
Among the most versatile artists is Steven Epp, who prowls around the story as a grandly sardonic Worcester, amusingly scuttles about as a moronic servant and finally amiably grins as a quiet country judge; Sandra Shipley as a feisty Mistress Quickly and the grieving Lady Northumberland; John Keating as a Scots-accented Westmoreland and a giddy Justice Shallow; and Cara Ricketts, whose ardent Lady Percy is nothing at all like her hard-bitten Doll Tearsheet. An agreeably disreputable Pistol, James Udom, transforms into an excitable Hotspur who nobly steps out of an illustrated book on chivalry. Exuberant though ever watchful as Prince Hal during his carousing phase, Elijah Jones gradually reveals the cold steel within his maturing character to the edge of cruelty in his arctic “I know thee not” dismissal of old companions. Finally there is Jay O. Sanders, a burly, white-haired bear of a Falstaff, who gamely lumbers through beer halls or battle on painfully gouty feet, humorously spouting wisdom or not at phlegmy length but always irresistibly a magnetic, mischievous soul; his look of shock in the play’s bitter ending is truly poignant.
Perhaps the most novel aspect in Tucker’s fairly traditional interpretation of the story is how the relatively brief battle scenes effectively suggest boxing matches through the complex sound design by Jane Shaw and the smoky lighting created by Nicole E. Lang that sometimes goes blood-red when death results. Among other imaginative touches, the designer drapes strings of Christmas-type lights from the upper gallery of the auditorium to illuminate the scenes of festivity that fleetingly brighten the earnest nature of Shakespeare’s historical plays.
Henry IV opened February 6, 2025, at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center and runs through March 2. Tickets and information: tfana.org
