Trevor Guyton and Cylan Brown (Photo by Kilian J Burke and Chris Burke)
Reviewed by Joel Beers
Shakespeare by the Sea at various locations throughout the South Bay
Thru Aug. 3
RECOMMENDED
According to the good folks at Shakespeare in LA (https://shakespeareinla.com/), ten producers this summer will stage 13 productions of Shakespeare in the greater Los Angeles area. The most problematic of these — at least from a literary standpoint — is being staged by Shakespeare by the Sea, which has adapted Henry IV Part One and Henry IV Part Two and folded them into one production titled Henry IV: Falstaff and the Boy Who Would be King. (It’s being mounted in repertory with Cardenio: Double Falsehood, considered one of Shakespeare’s lost plays).
This adaptation, courtesy of Stephanie Coltrin, SBTS’s co-artistic director and festival director since 2010, purports to marry two histories. The union heavily tilts toward Part One. It focuses mostly on the relationship between Prince Hal, the son of Henry IV and future Henry V, and his faithful companion, the endearing and ethically ambiguous Falstaff.
Coltrin has excised good chunks of Part One, but she wields a cleaver on Part Two. Only two scenes from the original texts emerge relatively unscathed: Henry IV’s death and Hal’s ascension to the crown, and the new king’s disavowal of Falstaff. There are other monologues from Part Two scattered throughout the rest of the evening and Coltrin makes clear from the start that Henry IV is ill, something that doesn’t manifest in the originals until Part Two.
What it all amounts to is a brisk (for Shakespeare) two hour and 15-minute evening that avoids getting mired in the minute details of all the political intrigue and unrest swirling about, and effectively conveys the central themes of Part One. These would include the burdens and responsibilities of kingship, embodied mostly by Henry IV (played in gender-bending fashion by the highly accomplished Jane Macfie; his strained relationship with Hal; and, most overtly, the nature of honor, loyalty and reputation, which Hal, Falstaff and Hotspur all grapple with throughout the evening.
Where it falls short is with the most important character arc: Hal’s transformation from a reckless youth seemingly more interested in carousing with Falstaff and his sordid pals than preparing himself to be a capable and responsible leader. We see that transformation clearly enough; it builds steadily before climaxing at the Battle of Shrewsbury where Hal displays the courage and leadership that finally assuages his father’s misgiving about him as a suitable sovereign, and then the devastating coda where the newly crowned Henry V disavows himself from Falstaff.
But we don’t feel it enough. While it’s debatable whether Hal is a Machiavellian character who will resort to any means necessary to achieve his aims, he is deceptive, telling the audience early in the play that consorting with Falstaff and cronies is part of a strategy of setting a low bar for himself by appearing to be irresponsible and indulgent, which will make the maturity and responsibility he plans on projecting as king all the more impressive. That deception may be in the service of something he feels noble about (being a competent and trusted leader) but it’s still deception, a well planned and executed one. And while there is a great amount of telling the audience about that deception in Trevor Guyton’s performance as Hal, there isn’t enough showing. There are no glimpses of the wheels turning in his mind, so the transformation seems almost like a matter of fact. (Jumping so quickly first from the battle, then to Henry IV’s death, and then to Falstaff’s spurning doesn’t help).
But that’s about the only mark that this production misses — although the big battle scene could use some more polish. But maybe that should get a pass, considering that the fight choreographer, SBTS stalwart Cylan Brown, also plays Falstaff and maybe had something else to focus on. And focus he did; his Falstaff is beautifully rendered, capturing the bigness and braggadocio, and the humor and charm, while also conveying the flaws and doubts that make his eventual disillusionment of being spurned by the new king so impactful.
The ensemble is energetic and tight (with Jonathan Fisher’s intense turn as Hotspur coming close to making it seem that this is really his play.) And the lighting and sound were impeccable considering the night this production was seen it was staged in a public park in Palos Verdes. Jeffrey Schoenberg’s costumes are simple but effective, as is Christopher Beyries’ set design.
But perhaps the best accolade one can offer is that the cast also doubles as crew, a major undertaking considering that just about every performance of this play and “Cardenio” will take place in a different venue in a different city. Most are clustered in the South Bay but there will also be performances as far south as Aliso Viejo and as far north as Pasadena. That’s a great deal of setting up and tearing down but it’s indicative of the esprit de corps and commitment that has allowed SBTS to exist for 27 years as a nomadic producer of Shakespeare in the summer.
In rep, see website for schedule. Various locations throughout the Southern Bay and further north; thru Aug. 3. Free. Two hours and 15 mintues, including intermission. shakespearebythesea.org
