Live Theater Returns with Shakespeare in the Rain
Lawrance Bernabo, Sheryl Jensen, Tony Bennett, Mark Nicklawske & Kelly Sue Coyle
Duluth News Tribune
September 25, 2020
Technically it was “drizzle,” not “rain,” gently falling upon the UMD Theatre Department’s outdoor production of Shakespeare’s Henry V on Thursday. But whatever the official designation, the precipitation was insufficient to stop Duluth’s first theatrical show since the world went dark in March.
The approximately 60 patrons attending the performance had brought their own chairs and blankets. I had a wide-brimmed hat to keep my glasses dry on the outside, but the inside kept fogging up because I was wearing a mask (which certainly kept my face warm).
“Hank Cinq” (pardon my French) is an ideal production to stage in the time of COVID-19. The work is in the public domain, so no royalties need be paid. More importantly, in the play’s prologue, Chorus explains there is no way the cast can actually stage the epic battle of Agincourt, so we should use our imaginations to pretend there are armies and horses.
So performing outside in Ordean Court with all the off-stage cast members in view and UMD students periodically wandering by seemed utterly appropriate.
Director Tom Isbell streamlined the play into a 90-minute production, performed by 14 cast members without intermission. Except for Jake Nelson’s King Henry, everybody is playing multiple parts as they race on and off stage.
Most of the scenes are played at a fast tempo and high volume, which took a bit of getting used to. Henry’s rebuke of the Dauphin’s gift of tennis balls seemed too fast, and his “once more unto the breach” speech could have been bigger.
In contrast, Laura Carlson’s Chorus was more measured and always provided a sense of the drama she was describing.
The scene in French where Alice (Mikayla Anderson) gives Katharine (Camryn Buelow) an anatomical English lesson delighted the opening late afternoon audience.
Ryan Horrocks does a nice job shooting his mouth off too much as the Dauphin; Christopher Hoffmann plays up Fluellen’s lush Welsh accent; and as Ancient Pistol, Patrick Timmons gets laughs boasting with small scissors.
The Battle of Agincourt was presented as an interpretive dance, which actually could have gone on much longer. Background music was provided by a trio of drummers.
One surprising aspect of the outdoor performance was the effective use of colored lights, as when they cast blue lights on characters setting the mood for the little touch of Harry in the night.
For most of the play, I never gave a thought to how performers were socially distancing. Only when Henry asked for the count of the dead and the herald placed the messages on the stage for the king to pick up, did I suddenly remember the new rules.
The cast wore microphones to deal with the twin burdens of performing outside while wearing masks, so we could hear everybody. I took their wearing masks for granted until the princess showed up with her flowing black tresses, making her mask look like she had a beard.
But then, in the play’s penultimate scene, that same mask became part of an utterly novel way for the future royal couple to seal the deal.
Friday, September 25, 2020
Henry V - UMD Theatre
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ReplyDeleteTo Mask or Not to Mask? That is the Question. UMD’s Fine Arts Department Puts on an Outstanding Outside Performance of Shakespeare’s Henry V
Izabella Zadra
UMD The Bark
September 28, 22020
This weekend, I had the chance to see the Fine Arts department at UMD perform the play Henry V in Ordean Court and it was an experience like no other.
First and foremost, let’s address the elephant in the room: Because of COVID-19 destroying everyone’s plans, Henry V was performed outside, while the whole cast, crew and audience wore masks. This was certainly nothing even close to your typical Shakespeare in the park event.
The performance of Henry V lasted approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.
Performing a Shakespearean play is hard enough, with the old English, the preposterous outfits and the complexity of his characters. So, when I heard that the entire cast would be wearing masks, I had a very icky feeling in my gut.
That feeling must have been bad dining hall food because everything about this play was absolutely breathtaking.
Directed by Tom Isbell, the performance truly brought Shakespeare’s words and characters to life. Playing a character is more than reciting lines and running around; it is channeling that character. Normally this means using facial expressions to bring life into your character. But, with masks, there was not much of a face to express for the actors, which led to some concern. I soon found out, however, that for this cast, that was no problem.
Both nights I attended the play, I was able to sit in the front row and every time a character had dialogue, I could see the fire in their eyes making up for the lost expressions being covered up by the mask.
I am not even kidding. The character of Henry V, played by Jake Nelson, portrayed the youthful king in the best way possible, using only his blueish grey eyes. I have never seen something quite like it before and I am left absolutely speechless.
Once again, because of COVID-19, there were a few more modifications that needed to be made. The best by far was Henry V and Katherine’s kiss: Both actors, Nelson and Camryn Buelow, looked into the eyes of each other and removed their masks. Then, after a few very passionate seconds, put them back on.
Somehow, I think that this was way cooler than an actual kiss because the drama of it lingered through the whole park, creating something even more powerful than any kiss could.
Even though it was a cloudy day, the cast of Henry V persisted and gave a lively performance.
As a freshman at UMD, this play helped me forget the homesickness and the stress I have been feeling due to how beautiful of a production it was. Everyone who was a part of it should be extremely proud and everyone who has gotten the chance to see it should feel extremely lucky.