Argus/Dispatch review of King Henry the Fourth
Prenzie offers sprawling, brawling `Henry IV'
By Julie Jensen
The Prenzie Players' production of "King Henry the Fourth" offers the wildest action to date in the company's Shakespearean performances.
A substantial audience Friday night became part of the show, swiveling necks to locate the action and rising to applaud King Henry.
What's going on here? Henry IV drops his plan to lead an expedition to the Holy Land, in penance for the death of Richard II, when he learns of uprisings in Wales and Scotland.
Hotspur has conquered the Scots but won't give up his Scottish prisoners until Henry ransoms his wife's brother, Edmund Mortimer, who was captured by Owen Glendower, the Welsh warrior. The king refuses, and they decide to revolt.
News of the revolution reaches the king's son, Hal, Prince of Wales, at the Boar's Head Tavern, where he is hanging out with Sir John Falstaff, a corpulent and disreputable fellow.
But enough of the convoluted plot.
The play opens with the entrance of a drunken couple laughing, embracing and swigging from bottles. They are Prince Hal, played by Jeff De Leon, and Meg Poins, played by Linnea Ridolfi. Their interchange is torrid as they repair to the bed on the balcony.
Mr. De Leon performs a single role in this play, and he does it well. Brian Nelson also plays a single role -- Sir John Falstaff -- in his first appearance with the Prenzie Players, and he is superb in it.
Ms. Ridolfi is a sizzling Meg, and she's also Hotspur's wife and Francis Feeble, a country recruit.
Gender-bending is minimal in this play compared to "Richard the Second" (in which the king and most of his court were played by women), but Jill Sullivan-Bennin makes it work as Prince Hal's brother and the Earl of Worcester.
Jeremy Mahr's portrayal of King Henry is impressive once again, and he also shows up in three minor roles.
Bryan Woods plays the Earl of Westmorland, speaks with an excellent accent as Glendower of Wales, and amuses as Pistol, Falstaff's follower with the bright-yellow sneakers.
Beth Woolley is a seductive Doll Tearsheet, plus the wheelchair-bound Justice Silence and three anonymous characters.
Chris Moore also has a full plate as a law officer; Nim, Falstaff's follower; the Earl of Douglas, and a country recruit.
Matt Gerard has contrasting roles as King Henry's youngest son, Falstaff's page, and Mortimer.
Maggie Woolley drinks herself silly as Bardolph, Falstaff's follower, and grieves convincingly as Lady Mortimer.
Stephanie Burrough is a lively Hostess Quickly, and she also plays Sir Walter Blunt, two anonymous roles, and Justice Shallow, a cackling country justice.
Aaron Sullivan shows up fully wigged as the Lord Chief Justice, and he also plays Hotspur's father and two minor roles.
J.C. Luxton brings the most passion to his role -- Hotspur -- and also plays a servant to Justice Shallow and an anonymous soldier.
There's some great swordplay, gunshots, and a tavern riot wild enough to make the audience duck, and Aaron Sullivan's scooping up the "dead body" of J.C. Luxton and carrying it offstage is quite a feat.
An extra performance has been added Sunday to make up for last Saturday's snow-out. The Henriad Cycle will conclude in May with "King Henry the Fifth."