By Chelsea Mortensen
Not even wind, rain, or a rowdy nearby soccer game could deter the enthusiastic neo-Elizabethan players of Grassroots Shakespeare Company from telling the story of Henry V at the Lindon Park last night. But their greatest conquest was for their most important, un-rehearsed cast member: the audience. Last evening’s performance were comprised mostly of the local families of Pleasant Grove and Lindon who also braved the weather in faith of receiving good entertainment. This meant nearly a third of the audience were children, most of which were under the age of 5.
When I took my seat in the wet grass, I admit I was a little concerned about how the smaller patrons would fare during the evening. I’ve seen my share of Shakespeare shows (specifically produced for younger spectators) that failed to keep the continued interest of their fledgling spectators. But not Henry V’s King Harry and his army of entertainers. They rise to the challenge and keep everyone engaged every step of the way through directing their speeches at the audience, thoughtful musical underscoring, and humorous asides even in the middle of serious conversations. And they are victorious. I looked to my left at the audience many times over the course of the play to find grown adults smiling and cheering and three- and four-year-olds leaning forward with wide eyes. It seems their schoolteachers and nursery caregivers could learn a thing or two from Shakespearean actors.
Jarrith McCoy and Soren Budge own their physical comedy and codpieces as Pistol and Nym as delightfully petty and competitive peasant soldiers. Madelyn Pettingill as Bardolph humorously attempts to be the voice of reason between the two that quickly establishes their relationship. Their frat-like cry of “Oy! Oy! Oy!” during the opening monologue and their first scene together does an excellent job of establishing their characters history with King Harry from the Henry IV plays.
Ashlei Havili Thomas as Hostess brings a grounding presence to these three’s ridiculous antics in their opening that makes the audience sad to see her character not return. Luckily for us she returns in another form as the pious Welsh Fluellen, the only masked character in the show. Thomas embodies the mask with a charming old man’s voice and physicality that the kids eagerly took to.
Drake Hansen’s surprising choice to give the Duke of Burgundy a chill hippie persona works delightfully. It matches his diplomatic speech in the resolution scene of the play in a way that would resonate with a contemporary audience while still providing plenty of comedy for the other characters to react to. The sight of the victorious King Harry’s growing exasperation at trying to get a word in edgewise during the Duke’s rambling is so well-suited it might have been written into the subtext by Shakespeare himself.
Olivia Ockey is an instant crowd favorite as Princess Katherine, even with the added difficulty of having 90% of her dialogue in French. But her precise physical and facial reactions in her playful conversation (with the lovely Kate Bennion as Alice) makes the whole scene easy to follow. She knows exactly how to engage with the little ones in the audience who quickly joined the in her game of learning to name of various body parts in English. The pair of French maidens have the audience so wrapped around their fingers (or “fangers” as their French accents pronounce it) that when the final wooing scene between princess and King Henry happens, everyone was rooting for the couple who just met in a matter of minutes.
Mira Kocherans makes a different take on other Dauphin’s than I have seen in the past- a delicious blend of petulance and sincere ferocity. Although the audience is meant to be rooting for the English, it was not hard to tell that the audience was happy whenever she appeared on the stage. She makes a brilliant example of how a production can benefit from cross-gendered casting.
Steven Pond also brings an important element to the production. With all of the fast-paced battles, quick humor, and youthful vigor of the English forces, the audience risks losing that sense of the gravity of war. By commanding the testy French in the best resistance he can muster and graciously ushering in the peace negotiations, Pond helps the audience feel the high stakes and reverence of the cost of war.
Finally, Brandon Bills leads the ensemble as the beating heart of the show. Bills takes care to balance his kingly authority and warrior boldness with a thoughtful humanity. He takes time to have meaningful moments with nearly every member of the sizeable cast and he is well repaid by their camaraderie. The strongest ensemble moments take place when the cast stands in support behind him as he prays for the courage of his troupes and rouses them with the iconic “Feast of St. Crispian” speech.
As usual, Grassroots brings us delightful FREE plays performed all over Utah that give Shakespeare’s work such a fun twist, you may be tempted to follow them from venue to venue and see each show as often as possible. Bring your camp chairs or a blanket to sit on, food and drink, and some insect repellent. And bring the kiddos. They’ll love it! Henry V for the win!
Henry V plays in repertory with Christopher Clark’s The Little Mermaid across the rest of the Utah Valley on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays. For more information on starting times and locations, please visit their Facebook group or their website at grassrootsshakespeare.com .
Grassroots Shakespeare presents Henry V . Performing in rotation with Christopher Clark’s The Little Mermaid in Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays at various public venues across Utah Valley
Tickets: Free Admission, $5+ Donation recommended
Grassroots Shakespeare Company Facebook Page
Summer 2019 – The Little Mermaid by Christopher Clark & Henry V Facebook Event(s)
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