With a clinking of swords, Bradley’s production of “Henry IV, Part 1” captured the audience’s attention, drawing them into its 15th-century world.
The play opened last weekend for a 10-show run that lasts through Sunday, and each night continues to garner excitement from audiences and actors alike. From the cast, that excitement comes through in phenomenal, energetic performances.
Setting the stage
In the Blythe O’Sullivan Studio Theatre, four curtained exits surround the audience, dividing them into three seating sections. The unconventional space allows the story to be seen on all sides.
The actors didn’t take that arrangement for granted either. They often walked to each seating section and handed bags of tokens to audience members, sometimes even sitting in the audience themselves.
The room was dark with a crack projected onto the floor and a large rock hanging from the ceiling. At the beginning and end of the play, actors placed a crown and swords on another rock protruding from the far-right corner.
These creative design choices aren’t just visually intriguing; they benefit the plot too.
The show centers around a complicated relationship between Henry IV and his son, Prince Hal. Physical divides placed between these characters reinforce the emotional barriers they can’t seem to breach.
In addition, the implementation of sound and lighting cues was very intentional. Drums underscore action scenes while silence fills the room during more serious moments. Meanwhile, the play paints three different groups in distinct colors: rebels are bathed in red lighting, King Henry IV’s group in blue and the tavern group in teal.
Though the set pieces are immobile – aside from a simple table for tavern scenes – the color-coordinated costuming and lighting cues denote the pace just as well.
Stand-out performances
The actors moved the play along without a dull moment, which was honestly impressive. None of them lost their focus despite the high-energy performances.
The character of Henry IV, played by senior theatre performance major William Oehler, started the play with a soliloquy about Prince Hal and the brewing rebellion taking place. Oehler does a fantastic job of keeping the audience engaged right off the bat with his smooth tone and regal voice.
The production is masterfully paced, providing audience members with moments to breathe while allowing the cast to flex different acting muscles. The show’s emotional beats include silly, drunken and comedic scenes as well as the serious, exciting energy of the brewing rebellion plot.
Senior theatre performance major Gabe Nye, who played Prince Hal, seamlessly switches between very comedic scenes and very dramatic ones in Act Two. His ability to interact with the audience through eye contact and pointing is impressive.
But perhaps the best performance of the night came from the head of the theatre performance department himself: Dan Matisa, playing Falstaff, one of Prince Hal’s drunken friends.
Matisa’s comedic timing is truly masterful, and he’s able to capture a whole room within just a few seconds.
I found myself laughing at more serious scenes because Matisa’s subtle jokes and facial expressions were so effective.
Taking a chance on Shakespeare
“Die all, die merrily,” Hotspur, played by junior theatre performance major Brody Blanchard, says near the end of the play.
A grotesque series of events unfolds as the drunken tavern group joins Henry IV’s soldiers to fight the rebels. The actors pull out their swords and have a brawl, clashing their weapons together in a choreographed manner.
For all the intentionality in this production, the production team could’ve done a better job preparing us for scenes that otherwise felt jarring and random.
I was underwhelmed, but not surprised, that the restoration of Henry IV and Prince Hal’s relationship didn’t have much impact on the play at all; the rebels were the most impactful.
Overall, though, “Henry IV” was really good.
I highly recommend you give “Henry IV, Part 1” a shot, as tickets are still available until Nov. 15 at the Hartmann Center. I found myself continuously interested, and with a Shakespeare play, that’s high praise.
With wonderful acting performances, beautiful stage design and skillful audience engagement, Bradley’s production of “Henry IV, Part 1” is sure to grab your attention.
