NY Classical Theatre Presents HENRY IV Review

Sitting on the upward slope of a Central Park hill, you too might be feeling aches and pains that you typically ignore in the course of a day. You’d never complain, however, because the actors on the declared stage atop the hill charm with their enthusiasm. It’s not the Henry IV you already know— plays (Part I and II) that seemed to gain in popularity when George W. became president and armchair psychologists started saying all that war was really just because W had Daddy issues and was trying to set the historic record straight. Shakespeare’s Henry IV is that nar do well libertine who likes to hang out with fat, farting and funny Falstaff, much to his aging King father’s chagrin. The story follows the Prince’s transformation into a serious guy, with lots of sword fights getting him there.

NY Classical Theatre Creates Instant Community

Besides the enthusiasm of the cast, it’s your fellow theater-goers on the lawn that make all the leaning uphill more than worthwhile. You meet a NY Classical Theatre regular who knew to bring posture affirming seat cushions and who offers you a turn in their portable chair. We don’t talk to anyone around us but we do smile A LOT, to get even more charge in the shared moments of fun. The script has been edited to meld the two plays into a quickie one, replete with cues from the actors of when to get up and move to the next perch of field or hill. When the sirens blare, the cast has their improv chops in the ready. And just what do the passing pedestrians think when one of the sword fight battles begins? We are in NY, and it seems that most of the passersby are wearing saris, dashikis or other signs of presumed Shakespeare newbies. Bemused, they shyly smile and stare, and we quickly glow back at them before we turn our heads back to the enthusiastic cast to give them their due.

NY Classical Theatre’s Henry IV is a play that reminds you of the meaning of the word outside the theater world. Viz., do a quick google and you find the first definition of play is “…amuse oneself by engaging in imaginative pretense..."

The park is the set here— and we use our imagination to fill in the blanks. We ADORE when a character does a quick change of costume— sometimes right on the imagined stage— to become another character. We love even more that we anticipate the breaks of what you begin to think of as the 3.5 wall.

When the hat gets passed at the close of this free to all performance we want to cheer for the beloved cast we have bonded with so closely. We learn that all involved in the production are paid the union rate and we are glad.

Feeling close with our fellow audience members and with the cast and creative team— we leave the park feeling satisfied by a life-affirming experience.

Shakespeare diehards who rankle at the notion of tweaking the Bard’s gems might steer clear. Then again, don’t we think this let’s pretend approach to theater is likely closer to the first productions back in the day?

Bardolph/Lady Katherine...…………...…….....Briana Gibson Reeves* Bess Poins/Countess Mortimer………….…………..Anique Clements* Sir Walter Blount/Pistol……………...……………..…....Nuah Ozryel* Hotspur/John of Lancaster………….…...Damian Jermaine Thompson* King Henry IV……………………………………….Nick Salamone*† Prince Hal….……………………………………………….Ian Antal*† Sir John Falstaff………………………………….…..John Michalski*† Countess Worcester/Nell Quickly….. ……….….Carine Montbertrand* Owen Glendower/Westmoreland………………....……….Ian Gould*† Northumberland/Lord Chief Justice………….……Juan Luis Acevedo*

Creative Team:

Founding Artistic Director/Director/Adaptor...…….Stephen Burdman+ Production Designer……………………….…………Kindall Almond# Casting Director…………………………….…….Stephanie Klapper^† Voice & Speech Coach……………..……….…………Nora Leonhardt Fight Director……………………………….……..Sean Michael Chin† Associate Voice & Speech Coach……………..………….Joan Melton† Assistant Voice & Speech Coach……………………….Clay Storseth† Movement Coach……………………………………..Brendan McMaho Choreographer…………………………………….………..Sarah Antal Design Assistant………………………….…………....Garvin Hastings Literary Director…………………………………… Matthieu Chapman Casting Assistants……………...Hershey Vazquez Millner, Emma Balk Supervising Producer………………………………….Yetti Steinman† Production Stage Manager….…………………….Caroline M. Pastore* Assistant Stage Manager……………………..……………Jade Doina* Wardrobe Supervisor…………………………………….Laura Cuevas Production Assistant & Company Manager……….…...Kellie Williams Production Assistant………………………………….Fleurette Modica Run Crew……………..Isaiah Lemos, Leta Marcellus, Brittany Timpson