Founded and formed in 1986 by Barbara Gaines, Chicago Shakespeare Theater has been consistently doing great work for 38 years. They are celebrating their 25th anniversary at their incredible space at Navy Pier, it is home to year-round presentations of plays, musicals, world premieres, family productions, and theatrical works from around the world.
Their latest production, being performed in The Yard space located behind the main stage in the complex, is of one of The Bard's most beloved plays, "Henry V," and it is pretty glorious.
There is no need to go into the complex and detailed plot of the play, which many of us are already familiar with, so I'll just tell you about why this particular production is so strong.
Directed by Chicago Shakes Artistic Director Edward Hall, this muscular, fast-moving, loud and dynamic show is really a wonder to behold.
Hall uses his cast of 13 gifted performers to play multiple roles (in the army and in the sovereignty), do some complex set changes, sing, fight, battle and accomplish some other remarkable feats over the course of the two-hour and forty-five minute running time. It is truly an ensemble production in every sense of the word.
This show had me from the very beginning when the ensemble entered the space singing The Pogues' "A Pair of Brown Eyes" while setting up the stage for the epic story that is about to unfold. When you sing a Pogues song...you got me.
In fact, the use of music in this production is altogether extraordinary, from the creative music cues that include everything from old Welsh lullabies to Supertramp, to the live performances of "London Calling" and "Anarchy in the UK" by the ensemble, it all works beautifully. The use of soccer chants and other group stagings to rile up the troops is also unique and well executed.
This is obviously a play about war and conflict, and on that level, Hall does some really smart, efficient, and powerful things to stage the many battles. Through great use of sound, lights and props, the battle scenes are exciting, scary, and seem much bigger than they really are. It brings a massive scope to a theatrical space that's not very big.
The very talented, very hard-working cast is just outstanding juggling multiple roles with ease and confidence. The stand-outs include Scott Aiello, Sean Fortunato, Demetrios Troy, Rachel Crowl, and the always terrific Kate Fry. And, finally, as the young and inexperienced king himself, Elijah Jones is excellent. He plays Henry with a smart combination of streetwise confidence and ego that hide the uneasy fearfulness that he carries with him.
There are some strange tonal shifts in "Henry V" that I've always thought were just weird. That last scene between Henry and Francis for instance, always seemed wildly inappropriate to me, like some wacky rom-com popped in to visit a serious war drama. Hall and the cast manage to get through the scene while maintaining a sense of seriousness and satisfying finality.
Overall, this is a great production that brings new light to a classic piece through some striking stagecraft, great acting and technical contributions of the highest quality. In other words, it's another phenomenal piece of work from Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
"Henry V" runs through October 6th in the Jentes Family Courtyard Theater at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier.
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