A king that can do no wrong is favored with a stunning victory at Agincourt over French forces against impossible odds: The Life of King Henry the Fifth becomes Shakespeare's paean to the British monarchy. Director Laurie Wessely further focuses this production on the protagonist (played by Brad Raider) with judicious cuts to the text, enabling the actors to add generous space around their lines to ensure clarity, yet keep the running time under three hours. Raider's strong, clear voice help create a vivid stage presence, even though his movements are more geared to film and TV. Philippe Brenninkmeyer is agile and expressive as a one-man Chorus to introduce each act and provide tidy wrap-ups.
Cheap attention-getting movements during other's speeches overshadow Michael Rubenstone's high potential as the Dauphin. Among the women, Niamh McCormally is engaging as Henry's French fiancee Katherine, judiciously protected by her chaperone Alice (Deb Hiett Borgia). Ray Rodriguez stands out for the humanity he infused into his portrayals of Bardolph and Williams. Even though the King's brother Gloucester has few lines, Eric Feldman manages to create a solid and engaging impression. Other notables in the hard-working cast are Michael Hogan, Jared Dawber and Hugh Scully.
Sara J. Tosetti's costumes take an eclectic approach to medieval Japanese models, reserving natural colors for the English and cooler blues and silver for the French. The effective unit set of wide and narrow steps by Jeff Newburger uses slatted panels and rude wooden ladder and fences. J. David Brimmer's fight choreography looks good in slow motion.
