HENRY IV: PART ONE wows in Mattison

Mathedine Hou, Campus New Reporter

On November 4th at 7:30 p.m., Shakespeare’s play Henry the Fourth: Part I hit the stage in Kent School’s Mattison Auditorium. The actors, including students and faculty members, painted a stellar picture of the repression and resistance — peppered with some good old-fashioned lowbrow humor — that took place between King Henry the Fourth, his son, Prince Hal, and a group rebellious subordinates.

Kent’s production was distinctive for many reasons. It’s choice of actors, for instance, was interesting, in that the actor’s gender didn’t really matter. Most of the major roles — including King Henry, Prince Hal, and Falstaff — were acted by female students (respectively, Antina Yeh ‘18, Zoe Benjamin ‘20, and Isabel Lieser ‘19). Falstaff, in Shakespeare’s original work, is a vain, boastful, and cowardly knight with dubious morals and a big belly. Lieser perfectly captured the facial expression, tone, and laziness of Falstaff, beard and all, and had the audience roaring. Yeh’s King Henry was authoritarian and merciful, while Benjamin captured perfectly Hal’s role as a member of both the royal court and a barroom ruffian.

The theater arrangement was also unique: Directors Mr. Stewart and Mr. Foote arranged it so that the audience sat both in the regular seats and up on the stage, meaning that the actors performed in all directions. When Falstaff was running from the rebels he even fell right into an audience member’s seat. The proximity of actor and audience member made for a night full of energy and excitement.

Technical Director Matt Jandreau contributed to the freshness as well, with contemporary music chosen by Joshua Kao ‘18 and all the actors dressed in rather modern outfits instead of the flashy robes and sashes expected by the audience. The actors playing the king and his fellow noblemen were all in suit and tie, with some of the bodyguards even wearing sunglasses and black T-shirt, calling to mind members of a boardroom — or perhaps the mafia. On the other side, the lower-status characters, such as Falstaff and his crew, wore leather jackets, jeans, and bandanas, closely resembling members of a biker gang. The rebels — led by Michael Pryor ‘18 as Hotspur — wore construction vests with hard hats and blue jeans — a nod perhaps to their ambitions of building a new nation after their coup. One of the funniest characters, Glendower, played by Nicole Namath ’21, wore a long beard and nightgown — reminiscent of his self-determined status as wizard — with, of all things, a boot upon his head. Whenever he spoke or jumped, the boot fell down and he had to adjust it with his hands, making the audience laugh out loud.

One of the most impressive scenes was the final battle between the rebels and royals. The actors spent months practicing stage combat, including fake punching, strangling, sword-play and death. As the conflict broke out, the light suddenly turned a pale blue, and man-made snow spread over the front stage, with actors waving knives at each other, wrestling, hitting each other in the face and even committing murder. The audience all held their breath watching the events unfold and hoping for a successful end.

The two-hour play flew by, ending with King Henry’s successful repression of the riot. Deafening applause and cheers filled the auditorium as the audience celebrated the great achievement of the actors, directors, and stage crew in successfully pulling off such a difficult and engaging play.