There’s nothing casual about the casualties of war in the Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s (PCPA) gripping rendition of Henry V.
Visions and sounds of clashing swords and booming battle cries often break weighty moments of ominous tension between feuding blue bloods in this Shakespeare retelling, currently onstage at Santa Maria’s Marian Theatre through March 3.
Inhabiting the title role, PCPA’s Associate Artistic Director Emily Trask fits easily into Henry’s crown and properly portrays the English monarch as a seemingly fearless force to be reckoned with. Sometimes her eyes do almost as much talking as Shakespeare’s dialogue. While reading tally sheets of lives lost on both sides during England’s invasion of France, Trask’s contemplative gaze is meditative, mournful, and without caricature.
That being said, Trask is adept during instances of comic relief as well, like Henry’s interactions with French princess Katherine (Molly Dobbs). Neither of the duo knows the other’s language too well, but their sitcom-esque translation woes offer a much welcomed reprieve from the show’s dire depiction of war and its consequences.
Throughout the play, I couldn’t help but be reminded of another of PCPA’s expert takes on Shakespeare. In the spring of 2020, less than a week before the pandemic shutdown, PCPA opened its tragically short-lived production of Julius Caesar. I felt sorry for the thespians whose run was cut short, but happy for those who were able to experience the phenomenal show before its swift closure.
PCPA’s Artistic Director Mark Booher helmed Julius Caesar, and he’s back in the director’s chair for Henry V. Like his brooding interpretation of Caesar, Booher’s Henry V feels mythic yet intimate and employs some anachronistic flourishes without altering Shakespeare’s text or retrofitting the setting to modern day.
Some characters, like the herald Montjoy (Andrew Philpot), sport jeans, and I doubt that’s a wardrobe malfunction. Denim was prevalent in PCPA’s Julius Caesar too, with costumes by Eddy L. Barrows, while Klara Wilson designed the attire worn in Henry V.
Booher isn’t the only common factor between the two shows though, as Philpot played Cassius in Julius Caesar, which also featured Peter S. Hadres—the sword-wielding Pistol in Henry V—as Brutus. Like Trask, Hadres is a master of juggling instances of humor and grief.
The show’s entire cast is admirable. Other standouts include a pair of Henry’s strategic captains—George Walker as Fluellen and the Sun’s own Marketing and Events Coordinator Michael Gould as Gower. Between the duo, Gould is a capably earnest foil for Walker, who puts on a comedically thick Welsh accent.
Fluellen and Gower are memorable fighters during the play’s immersive battle sequences, carefully arranged by Walker, who is credited as the show’s fight director, with support from assistant choreographers Dobbs and Alexander Pimentel and fight captains Nolan LeMay, Griffin Hanson, and Jason Wells.
Without spilling an ounce of blood visually, the show’s cast and crew illustrate duels and death blows with more creative means—crowding the Marian Theatre’s thrust stage with bodies engaged in combat under hellish red lighting.
Speaking of the show’s lighting, it’s a character in itself throughout Henry V. Lighting Designer Cody Soper and Assistant Lighting Designer Krys Newbury often splash the stage with shades of red and blue, in conjunction with the English army’s red uniforms and French army’s blue uniforms.
No matter which team you side with, don’t be surprised to find yourself rooting for PCPA to tackle Shakespeare’s works more often.
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood wants a Henry V-themed sports jersey. Send comments to [email protected].
