The Mistorical Hystery of Henry (I)V presented by WSC Avant Bard at Artisphere

The Mistorical Hystery of Henry (I)V

Artisphere
1101 Wilson Blvd Arlington

Mallan places Hal, and nearly the entire action of the play, in the Boar's Head Tavern, a steampunk Edwardian era Eastcheap brothel/music hall, where the Harlotry Players play out the news of the day in bawdy acts and musical numbers that parody both the rulers of the land and their powerful enemies. It is here in this subversive musical hall, where prostitutes can escape their degrading existence by getting onstage and mocking the powers-that-be, that Hal has found home. But can the heir apparent really stay true to a family of outspoken outcasts forever? And what happens to these radical ne'er-do-wells when Hal stops "slumming" and begins to lead?

Presented by WSC Avant Bard

Thru - Dec 4, 2011

Price: $25-$35

Show Type: Musical

Running Time: 2 hrs, 40 minutes with 1 intermission

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The Mistorical Hystery of Henry (I)V Reviews

Average Rating based on 7 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended

"... The mocking style and fight-the-power argument do wear thin, though, long before this nearly three-hour adventure downshifts from giddy lampoon to its brutal finish. It’s likely that this ambitious experiment will appeal mainly to “Henry IV” buffs prepared to track Mallan’s changes and/or folks who like their Bard upended."

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- Nelson Pressley

Washington Examiner - Somewhat Recommended

"... The music by Raymond Bokhour is lively and plentiful. The main song, "Where is Hal?" serves as a rude anthem to hold the production together. Rhonda Key's and Lynly Saunders' costumes are delightfully tawdry flights of fantasy. Artisphere's black box theater is effectively opened up by Tobias Harding. Against one wall is a raised platform, hung with curtains. Several tables and chairs and a few Chianti bottles create the convincing Eastcheap oasis."

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- Barbara Mackay

MetroWeekly - Somewhat Recommended

"... With a large cast, it is to the players and director Mallan's credit that this logistically complex, fast-paced production moves with much harmony and an enjoyable rhythm. Although traditionalists may be challenged by Mallan's liberties and format, he nevertheless carves out many spaces in which the language of the original Bard can be savored. It's a stretch but not a travesty."

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- Kate Wingfield

Washington City Paper - Somewhat Recommended

"... It says something that for all the tricks the director’s come up with to ornament the text, the evening’s most affecting scenes are its least fussy—a pair of moments featuring Hardee and Henley as Hal and the aged king Henry. Where Henley blends bits of Jackie Gleason and Robert Downey Jr. into his Falstaff, his Henry IV is pure Paul Scofield, remonstrating and then forgiving Hal in a gravelly growl that aches with regret."

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- Bob Mondello

Washingtonian - Somewhat Recommended

"... Henley, WSC Avant Bard’s longtime artistic director, is a tall, slender man, and hardly a likely Falstaff. This isn’t a typical Shakespeare production, however, and Mallan’s decision to cast him was inspired. Henley as Falstaff has a little stomach padding for the sake of tradition, plus long, stringy black hair, a red velvet cutaway coat, and a gold-tipped walking stick. An affable, pompous gasbag, he’s on the road to seedy ruin and enjoying every mile. Even as the others are busy enacting English history on their little tavern stage, one’s eyes drift to Henley, slouching in a chair just to the side, his eyes half-closed in contentment, watching his friends perform. Henley gets you through the evening, long after the overall concept has overstayed its welcome."

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- Jane Horwitz

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"... As the title hints, The Mistorical Hystery of Henry (I)V focuses more on the Prince Harry or Hal (who becomes Henry V) aspect of the Henry IV plays and specifically his relationships with Falstaff, his mentor in merriment, and Harry’s other companions in carousing. The WSC Avant Bard spin especially plays up a passionate relationship between Prince Hal and companion Ned Poins (a striking James Finley). The political intrigue involving Henry IV and rivals Hotspur, Worcester and Douglas also featured in the Henry plays is told through the news reels and the skits reenacting them by the Harlequin players. This might offend purists of the Bard but I found it to be a brilliant way to portray the often stodgier historical aspects of the Henry plays. The WSC Avant Bard production also contains key poignant scenes between Prince Hal and his father."

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- Doug Poms

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

In the plains of Artisphere, Mallan has assembled a colossal burlesque, over which Sir John Falstaff (Christopher Henley) presides. Henley creates a character who exhibits the persona of two men so memorable their names have become adverbs: Falstaff and Oscar Wilde.

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- Tim Treanor

The Mistorical Hystery of Henry (I)V presented by WSC Avant Bard at Artisphere