Henrys Rule in San Rafael

Henry IV, Part I was Shakespeare’s most popular play during his lifetime. And, says co-director Robert Currier, this history drama held its popularity for about 200 years after his death. On the other hand, he added, Henry IV, Part II “is very rarely done.” But this summer, Marin audiences have a chance to see both, even back-to-back on the same day.

The Marin Shakespeare Company is closing its’07 season with a rare production of both Parts 1 and 2 in repertory. It’s an ambitious project and a demanding one: every actor in Part I also appears in Part II; ten of the players have multiple roles; two directors -- Marin Shakespeare’s Robert Currier, and Guest Director from the Royal Shakespeare Company, Rob Clare – guide the production. And the scripts had to be “trimmed” so that each could be performed within two and a half hours.

In short, these Henrys have every opportunity to fall flat, and they don’t. Instead, Henry IV, Part I and Henry IV, Part II are fully satisfying, bring-your-friends-along good theatre.
Audiences should know that doubling also continues in the names of the characters. King Henry, for instance, is also known as Bolingbroke for his birthplace and Lancaster for his home. Hal, the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, is also called Harry, as is the Earl of Northumberland’s son, Henry Percy, a.k.a. Hotspur. All these identities sort themselves out once the drama is underway.

Part I begins with Henry’s unlawful assumption of King Richard II’s throne. To assuage his guilt, Henry resolves to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but rebellion in his newly-won kingdom requires him to postpone the plan. Northumberland, Wales, Scotland and York are all resolved to throw Henry out and replace him with Lord Mortimer, Richard’s named heir. The battle to come will decide the kingdom and destroy old alliances.

But this serious court story is contrasted with ribald comedy among the common folk down at the Boar’s Head Tavern. Here portly Falstaff holds his own court among the tavern’s thieves, liars, prostitutes and fleas. Fueled by sherry, Falstaff devises schemes to cure his “consumption of the purse,” even planning to rob the Canterbury pilgrims. Unfortunately, one of the old man’s tavern companions is the King’s own son, Prince Hal. Hal’s own enjoyments, though, come from elaborate “jests” he arranges with his friend Poins, to trap Falstaff in yet another lie.

However, as the battle for the kingdom draws near, Hal becomes aware of the heavy duties that will be his when he’s King. In a role-reversal game with Falstaff, the two try out a father-and-son talk in which Hal takes the role of his father. This masterful piece of foreshadowing shows its outcome at the end of Henry IV, Part II.

Each play is wonderfully cast and staged; each can stand alone. But Part 1 closes with the Battle of Shrewsbury and the well-known warning: “The better part of valor is discretion.” The kingdom’s outcome is uncertain.

In Part 2, the ongoing rebellion and the immaturity of young Prince Hal show in the King’s illness and lack of sleep: “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” But Henry V grows to accept his place in history: “Presume not that I am the thing I was.”

Marin Shakespeare’s production assembles a cast of professionals in all the major roles. Jarion Monroe is Henry IV in both productions, Grant Goodman is his son, Hal, and Stephen Reynolds (alas! no relation) portrays the scoundrel, Falstaff.

Soren Oliver and Elias Escobedo round out the court, with George Maguire, Stephen Klum, William Elsman, Ian Swift, and David A. Moss as the rebellious lords and earls. Cat Thompson and Michelle Pava Mills double as women of the rebel forces. The gang at the Boar’s Head is supplemented by Jack Halton, Ryan Schmidt, David Ballard, and Linda Paplow as Mistress Quickly, the tavernkeeper. All these appear in Parts 1 and 2 with the addition of young Gabe MCulloch as Falstaff’s page.

Credit also goes to Billie Cox’original music composed “in a Shakespearean style” and to Abra Berman’s costumes.

Henry IV, Parts I and II, will be performed in repertory through Sept. 29 at the Forest Meadows Amphitheatre on the Dominican campus in San Rafael. The Saturday shows have both parts in sequence, starting at 4PM, with the option of a Shakespeare Dinner in between. Audiences are also welcome to bring their own picnics to the amphitheatre, but reservations are required 2 days ahead for the catered dinner.

It gets much cooler after dark. Bring a jacket and even a lap blanket.
For complete information or reservations for the dinner, call 499-4488 or see www.marinshakespeare.org.