QC Times review of King Henry the Fourth
Prenzie’s ‘Henry’ overflowing with humor, emotion
By Ruby Nancy | Thursday, March 01, 2007
The Prenzie Players have produced the second play of The Henriad, “King Henry the Fourth,” and has made it possible — for all of us who have been on the edge of our seats waiting for it — to sit back and enjoy.
It is a very different show than “Richard the Second,” which was loaded with high political drama and much soul-searching, but this new show in the trilogy does continue the story.
Henry IV, who replaced Richard II as King of England in the first drama, now faces a variety of threats to his own power. His wastrel eldest son, Henry of Monmouth, known as Hal, is perceived as weak, and the jockeying by others who would rather install themselves as the next king — plus the pressure for Hal to step up to the plate — make up much of the dramatic storyline in this show.
What this play also has is a lot of humor, seated firmly on the larger-than-life character of Sir John Falstaff, whose heavy-duty partying with Hal is the prince’s major distraction. Brian Nelson is Falstaff, and his raucous performance enlivens every scene he is in. It is a big role, requiring a hearty and melancholy masking frivolity which Nelson easily provides, and you can see why the character has his own group of followers.
Jeff De Leon is wonderful as Hal. Quietly compelling and obviously unhappy, his Hal and “companion” Meg Poins nevertheless have a grand time together — and with Falstaff and the followers. His character’s thoughtful intensity, emerging during the last few scenes of the play, is a beautifully crafted performance that you simply must see.
J.C Luxton, who plays Sir Henry Percy (known as Hotspur), a potential rival of Hal’s, is — as always — superb, and his intense vocal and physical commitment to the role is a sheer pleasure to watch.
Linnea Ridolfi’s Meg is a revelation, a powerful piece of acting that adds a rich subtext to the entire story, and one that leaves us once again anticipating the next installment. An expressive face (and a great sense of the physical differences between this character and the two others she plays here) allows her to say much without necessarily speaking a line, and she is a standout in this show even before we get a look at her interpretation of Francis Feeble, one of the country recruits who earns such enormous laughs.
Jeremy Mahr, whose majestic turn in the title role shows us how much Henry IV has changed since we saw him in the last play, is another of the of the wonderfully comical country recruits. Yet another, played well by Chris Moore, is just one of the five roles Moore takes on in the course of the show. Beth Woolley, who also has five roles, includes prostitute Doll Tearsheet in the range of characters she plays — and though the bawdy Doll is heavily and inexplicably (plus potentially to some, offensively) ghetto-accented, the portrayal is extremely very well-done.
Too many other performers and roles make up the balance of this mix of drama and comedy — at least when it comes to writing about them, but rest assured that there is plenty more to see. True, a handful of Prenzie stalwarts seemed a little less focused than usual at Sunday’s performance, but the overall result of everyone’s work on “King Henry the Fourth” is still pretty amazing.
It’s an often laugh-aloud funny, sometimes deeply moving, vastly entertaining piece of theater, and I can’t wait to see what happens in May, when “King Henry the Fifth” opens. Don’t miss the chance to see this one for yourself.
Contact the features desk at (563) 383-2400 or newsroom@qctimes.com.
If you go
What: “King Henry the Fourth” by Prenzie Players
When: 8 p.m. today-Saturday, March 3; 1 p.m. Sunday, March 4
Where: Masonic Temple, 420 18th St., Rock Island
How much: $8.
Information: (309) 738-2042