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Henry IV Reviews
Henry IV Reviews
 It is rare that a show with dense verbosity and classic, tangled plotlines is able to accurately reflect contemporary existence, but such is the case with Halcyon Theatre’s vibrant production of Luigi Pirandello’s “Henry IV.” As adapted by Tony Adams, this production allows us to examine the often absurd power of the wealthy, the church and medical officials. Most importantly, in its title character, we are able to remind ourselves of the multiple ways in which we all try to avoid bleak day-to-day realities. Twenty years after a nobleman’s fall resulted in his living a delusional life as medieval German emperor King Henry IV, the primary participants of the event return and attempt to shock him back into reality. Under the guise of a dead mother’s final wish, a passionate (if misguided) doctor leads the group through a series of scenarios that are quickly undermined by the passionate nobleman-king. Buffeted by a group of live-in actors who comprise his imagined court, we soon begin to wonder if the intended target is truly insane or just merely seeking his own kind of revenge on the former acquaintances who have wronged him. At times confusing and a bit too ponderous, this mounting of “Henry IV” ultimately reveals itself to be a passionate, well-articulated production. As director, Adams’ love for the material is evident from the beginning moments. He imbues the opening scenario with a contemporary musicality, giving modern audiences a leeway into the difficult material at hand. Adams also, with the artful aid of Patricia J. Murphy, structures costumes that signify both the sweepingly medieval and the constrained contemporary eras of clothing utilized in the production. Adams’ set design also reveals itself to have multiple levels and shadings that illuminate the tale with generosity. Antonio Bruno’s pulsing techno-friendly score adds the appropriate level of tension and mirrors the misguided heroics and confused heart of the primary characters. In retrospect, it is hard to signify whether the opening fight chorography is awkwardly staged on purpose or if it is just a minor slip in an otherwise smoothly rounded imagining. Additionally, there are some awkward patches of acting and overemphasized emoting, but these flaws may evaporate over multiple showings. Overall, Adams has comprised a cast of passion and skill. Even Nick Staten, playing a mostly silent valet, makes a favorable impression. Every thought and reaction of his supporting character registers with ease and true emotion, proving that Staten is a performer to watch out for. As Henry IV, James Allen resonates with passionate shrewdness and hammer-hard comic edge. He is ably supported by energetic Scott Allen Luke as Landolph, his primary conspirator. Luke beguiles with magnificent playfulness and earns audience sympathy with his ultimately supportive confusedness. Denise Santomauro provides some refreshing feminine petulance as a sassy, multi-leveled descendant of the original reveling transgressors. She is well matched by Greg Polijacik as her supportive, loving counterpart, Charles DiNolli. It is Petrucia Finkler as Matilda and Eric Lee as the doctor who imbue this production with the freshest take on Adams’ vision, though. Their unique artistry is equal to Adams’ productiveness and then some. They practically carry the show away on their very industrious shoulders. -- Brian Kirst; May 7, 2008  Any theater company that takes on Pirandello has their work cut out for them. Although Pirandello's oeuvre, focusing as it does on the human condition, never loses pertinence, it requires an audience willing to work for their entertainment. Halcyon Theatre's "Henry IV" offers a production both uniquely approachable and characteristically opaque. Adapted and directed by Tony Adams, it tells the story of a man who, after falling from a horse, loses himself to a character he portrayed. Twenty years later, his former love-interest returns with an entourage of associates, all of whom have varying stake in "Henry's" return to lucidity. During a key confrontation, "Henry" references the "different self within yourself," and asks, "have you always been the same?" In doing so, he skewers the superficial lengths to which we go to sustain the image we hold of ourselves, in effect challenging the accepted model of a fixed self. An intricate meditation on the nature of madness and the concept of self, "Henry IV" shifts constantly like a funhouse hallway, never revealing who has control. In general, it can be a struggle to connect to the content behind Pirandello's structurally cumbersome sentences; however, a patient audience member is rewarded by perceptive, surprisingly current insights sprinkled throughout the long-winded passages. In this case, a uniformly strong cast enlivens the beautiful language by virtue of their obvious mastery of the thematic undercurrents propelling the dialogue. Although the play's philosophical underpinnings are exhausting to consider, Adam's energetic direction, specifically his innovative choices in the opening sequence, draw the viewer in. If you're looking for a light diversion, you may want to look elsewhere (the musical adaptation of "Dirty Dancing" hits Chicago in September), but if you like your entertainment with a side of dark philosophy, you'll want to give this lively production a chance. --Sarah Terez Rosenblum; May 06, 2008  . . .Finkler is hilariously dismissive as Henry’s lover Matilda, who browbeats her husband, Belcredi (the suitably pompous Graham). Luke, as the secret counselor in charge of the fantasy actors, manages to bring an appealing naturalism to the 1922 script’s formality. Adams’s imaginative direction slips in hip-hop and doo-wop versions of the exposition, while Tony Bruno’s sound design is fittingly anachronistic—ditto Adams’s costume and set design. --Lisa Buscani; May 15, 2008 |