Sound and Fury

The key element of the next two plays I attended on my current trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival was power ... and how to hold onto it.

Shakespeare's King Henry IV, Part 1 was staged this season in the Elizabethan Theater and directed by Penny Metropulos. I was quite fond of the last OSF staging of this history play several years ago, which very successfully modernized the story and drew comparisons to recent wars and the spotlight that glory and fame throws on the men who fight them, especially fathers and sons.

This year's offering was a more traditional approach, relying on the text and the strength inherent in Shakespeare's poetic exploration of battle, honor, and family discord. Without all the bells and whistles of the previous production - and I seem to recall some significant cuts, as well - the show falls squarely on the shoulders of four key actors: Richard Howard's King Henry IV, Kevin Kenerly's Hostpur, John Tufts' Prince Hal, and David Kelly's Sir John Falstaff. That is quite an assemblage of acting skill, especially in Howard's case. Previous productions have thrown some pretty high-caliber performers at the roles of Hal (Marco Barricelli, Dan Donohue), Falstaff (John Pribyl, Cal Winn), and Hotspur (Barry Kraft, Michael Elich) - but I can't recall many of the actors called upon to play Henry Bolingbroke.

Having Howard take the stage as the King gives the part extra weight. He looked weary, guilt-ridden and ill at ease. He is a wonderfully flawed character who miscalculated his political and personal alliances and has to fight to retain his crown and perhaps, his son.

As Prince Hal, John Tufts displays his reliable physicality and strong command of the Bard's language while folding in a sly, comic sensibility and a sense of playfulness in his dissolute dealings with Falstaff and his cronies. (These were on display in recent seasons in which he played a cross-dressing Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream and King James in Equivocation). We see his simple joy at playing an elaborate trick on Sir John and then watch as he wrestles with letting that seductive life go and returning to his duty as heir apparent.

David Kelly's Falstaff is certainly the grimiest one I've ever seen. Life at the tavern is seen warts and all in this production, and the director lets you know from the get-go. I haven't heard so much belching on stage in my life ... or seen as many realistic uses of a chamber pot. He did particularly marvelous work with his elaborate description of just how many thieves accosted him after a recent bout of knavery - all set up by Hal to catch him in a lie. He also was delightfully eloquent on Sir John's warped conception of honor.

In other performances, Kevin Kenerly made for a charismatic Hotspur and Judith-Marie Bergan was very funny as Mistress Quickly.

Overall, I prefer more non-traditional productions that make judicious cuts to highlight the deeper, non-historical issues in this play, but in Ashland's 75th Anniversary season perhaps we should take a look at the whole and not its parts.

The next "power" play up for discussion is the festival's commissioned adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's acclaimed film Throne of Blood, in itself an adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

It was staged in the Angus Bowmer Theater and was directed by Ping Chong. The production incorporated Kabuki and Noh theater styles and employed many cinematic devices and perspectives including projected imagery and multi-layered vocal effects. The script dispensed with most of Shakespeare's language, except for the occasional reference, and also salted the dialogue with subtle references to Kurosawa's other films.

Kevin Kenerly played Washizu (Macbeth) with great energy and precision. He wasn't given the usual interior monologues to show his growing doubts. In its place he took advantage of the Japanese concept of inner stillness to physically show his struggles. And as for his physicality, the "death grip" with which he held his sword after murdering Lord Kuniharu (King Duncan) was nearly unbreakable ... until his wife Asaji (Lady Macbeth) expertly pried it from his hands.

Lady Asaji, played by Ako, a Kabuki-trained actress, brought specificity and strength to her role as she seeded her husband's mind with doubt and essentially did his thinking for him. The commitment to the Japanese traditional style was impressive and at times quite terrifying in its calm insistence.

Other cast standouts included Jonathan Haugen as the sly and commanding Lord Kuniharu (fresh off his amazing work in Equivocation last year); Danforth Comins as Miki (Banquo), who developed a strong brotherly bond with Washizu that I have never noted in Macbeth; and Cristofer Jean as the Forest Spirit, who used both audio technology and his own vocal range to create a memorable prophetic witch. I also liked the comic relief provided by Washizu's men, especially Peter Macon and Greg Linington, and an Old General played by Michael Winters.

The original visual style was arresting and succeeded in bringing the film's vision to the stage. I have seen many Kurosawa films and have enjoyed listening to the expert commentaries on DVD. One scholar memorably noted that, "If you see wind in the shot, it's because Kurosawa put it there." I recalled that statement this afternoon as I noted the fluttering of the Lord's tent in the opening scene.

I eagerly await the chance to view the film again to compare experiences.