A royal battle

SGFT takes on Henry V

by Bill Rodriguez

HENRY V. By William Shakespeare. Directed by Judith Swift. With Tony Estrella, Sam Babbitt, Chris Perotti, Will Jamison, Nigel Gore, Jim O'Brien, Robert Dunn, and Molly Lloyd. At Sandra Gamm-Feinstein Theatre through June 27.

Henry V is not something you're assured of seeing twice in a lifetime, unlike so many of Shakespeare's works. Not only is it a history play, it is a tub-thumping warmonger of a play, with cartoon enemies rather than worthy adversaries, and as much plodding as plotting. Nevertheless, the current Sandra Gamm-Feinstein Theatre production wrings out just about every potential theatrical satisfaction there is in this elaborate war story.

Promised to his audiences after Henry IV, Part II, this is more of an afterthought than a play in its own right, a story with only its punchline --the Battle of Agincourt -- for justification. Hot-headed Prince Hal of the two prior Henry plays is now king in his own right, and there is less drama in his newly acquired traits of sobriety and fair-mindedness. The Bard had promised that his greatest comic character, Sir John Falstaff, would return by popular demand, but the playwright didn't risk upstaging the king, so we have to settle for a sad report of Falstaff's death.

All of which is to underscore what a fine and daunting job was accomplished by director Judith Swift and Tony Estrella as King Harry. For his part, Estrella gives us a Hamlet without the brooding, an intense and thoughtful king, although we hear only one soliloquy. We get a purposeful Harry who never wavers in his conviction that his cause is just -- but the fascination is in watching a king who is re-examining the question every time it comes up. Whether the king is listening to the Archbishop of Canterbury natter on about the Plantagenets being the legitimate successors to the French throne, or he is disguised among his soldiers to hear how they are taking the almost certain prospect of defeat, we get the wonderful illusion that he is deciding anew to bolster his resolve.

Skillful acting and savvy directing again combine in that opening scene when the archbishop (Sam Babbitt) is recounting the lengthy genealogy that will justify invading France. You know you're in good hands when a character launches further into a longwinded explication and it's amusing rather than tedious, as yet another visual aid scroll displays the family tree.

The production maintains a hefty momentum that doesn't flag, even during scene changes when scenic designer Kevin Sciotto's jagged platforms are disassembled and reconfigured. The physicality of all that movement is cleverly used before the main battle scene, with the sounds of fighting in the background, before the grunting and feverish activity breaks into sword play and gunfire. (Less anachronism than reminder of the timelessness of warfare, that kind of blurring was also utilized by costume designer David T. Howard: from camouflage pants for Exeter (Chris Perotti) to silk dressing gown for the young and fatuous Dauphin (Will Jamison). A similar bridging device familiar to modern audiences is Shakespeare's own: an impassioned "Chorus" (Nigel Gore) is more like a conventional narrator, providing historical reminders, introducing assassins, and summarizing intervening action.

Even for pacifists in the audience, Henry V will prove fascinating and informative about the attitudes that lead men to war. From the thoughts of ordinary soldiers who leave conscience and morality, or lack thereof, up to the king, to justifications for treachery and betrayal, to the words that can rouse men to kill and die, Shakespeare lays it all out for us. Estrella's low-key characterization is intelligent and effective, but it dampens a fiery rendition of the powerful speech that ends: "gentlemen in England now abed/Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,/And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks/ That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's Day." After that battle we get a taste of the amazement soldiers feel when they survive, although the playwright neglects to mention that the English victory despite 5-to-1 odds had a bit to do with the introduction of the longbow to warfare as well as the favor of God. (Their own weapons out of range, some 10,000 of the French died, but only a few dozen English.)

Without Falstaff, the comic relief of the rough soldiers is tame and unmemorable, except for the boisterous Pistol (Jim O'Brien). But there is a cute challenge of the disguised king by a brash Williams (Robert Dunn), and more conventionally adorable interplay with the French princess Katherine (Molly Lloyd). We witness a hilarious English lesson she takes in preparation to meet the king. And in their eventual meeting, as he cajoles her to marry him, the humor and chemistry is captivating.

For a play that is not among the playwright's best, SFGT makes Shakespeare look good indeed.