The first part of Breath of Kings, subtitled Rebellion, encompassed Richard II and I Henry IV. The play, performed at the Tom Patterson Theatre, was done in the round with minimal set. In fact, there was no permanent set, only a stage covered with ground-up car tires to simulate wood chips. Props were brought in and out as necessary, but much of the design was left to the imagination of the audience. It was a stark contrast from the lavish Macbeth set at the Festival Theatre. All told, though, I thought it worked quite well. The cast did marvelously with very little, and the lack of a set did not detract from the play. In fact, it helped considerably, as the cast members moved into the seating areas for the action. I was seated on an aisle that was much traveled with actors moving in and out.
The second part of Breath of Kings, subtitled Redemption, continued the saga with II Henry IV and Henry V. The set for this was even more minimal, with the rubber shavings removed. The stage itself was designed with numerous removable panels, suitable for graves, battlements, and to display a battle field torn apart by war. Actors again used the entire theatre, including seating areas. At the end of the II Henry IV portion, Falstaff and his friends used one of the balcony areas to watch the newly-crowned Henry V parade past. The four of them moved into the front row. Falstaff commented, "These are our seats," and the four sat on the laps of the patrons. That did not last long as the group headed to the stage to see Henry. An intimate setting indeed!
The story is not for the casual observer. Prior to seeing the play, I brushed up on plot synopses of the four source plays. I am glad that I did! On more than one occasion, I heard audience members complain of confusion. (One member complained that the playbill did not provide her a synopsis. I don't think I have ever seen a playbill that had one!) Admittedly, it was tough to keep things straight, even with some familiarity of the plays. There were many characters in the story. The playbill provided a family tree, but many regal titles were similar. Also, characters are called by multiple names--Hal, Harry, and Henry, for instance. To add to the confusion, most of the cast were engaged in multiple roles, changing costumes many times over. It's impressive that actors can do this so seemingly easily, a tribute to their talent. Audience members certainly need to pay attention, however.
The acting was excellent! The leads--Tom Rooney as Richard II, Graham Abbey as Henry IV, Araya Mengesha as Hal/Henry V, and Geraint Wyn Davies as Falstaff--were tremendous in their roles. Being able to see the transitions of the Henrys from Prince to King helped to understand their characters. The other members of the cast were equally good. I was impressed with Sebastien Heins (Aumerle, Prince John, Mouldy, and Le Fer) and Johnathan Sousa (Hotspur and Prince Thomas), both making their Stratford debuts in multiple roles. They have bright futures indeed. These shows were successful, I believe, because of the efforts of cast members.
The story started off slowly in Rebellion. I found the Richard II portion to drag a bit. There is not much comedy to the story, and it was the one source play with which I was least familiar. The I Henry IV portion was enjoyable and closed off the first production suitably, while enticing viewers to return for the second production. Redemption started off enjoyably with II Henry IV and progressed to a rousing finish with Henry V. The Henry V portion was interesting. Shakespeare's narrator was kept in the play, providing a contrast to the previous three parts of the epic which were not narrated. The Dauphin and Katherine were played by the same actress. In fact, at one point she transitioned from one part to another by letting down her ponytail and removing her jacket to reveal a full-length gown. Voila, she's her own sister! (I can understand why audience members might be confused!) This transition occurred before Act III, Scene iv, which followed entirely in untranslated French. I picked up an occasional word, but I wonder how many audience members were bilingual. The climax of the play was adrenaline-raising, and the denouement, introducing a young Henry VI playing with tin soldiers, set the scene for a future production (or a future DVD viewing).
Condensing these four Shakespearean plays into what amounts to one work is an interesting proposition. While it may strike one as something akin to SparkNotes (which it is, to an extent), I believe that it does have validity in its own right. It allows the audience members to see a complete story, to watch characters grow and mature, to see rulers and countries rise and fall. It also has interested me to see the four plays, each on its own. I gave The Hollow Crown a try once but never finished it. Thanks to Breath of Kings, it's back on my to-do list.
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