Review of "Henry 5"
Aug. 23rd, 2003 01:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zesty_pintoOkay, last round of the FRINGE. On a Friday sweltering with the heat of a very hot and muggy day, one asian man in a weighty green jacket traveled to Delancey in order to find a show that he missed out beforehand. Spending money on water, studying statistical data, and going to a bathroom that locked him out of the theater, he has now returned with a review of the final of the 3 (originally 4) shows he got to see
Henry 5
Unlike the previous productions I had the benefit to see, this was a show that was hardly frequented with a heavy crowd. In fact, it surprised me: a puppetry-run show of crazy insanity promised to be very full of new things to enjoy and to be honest; out of all of the FRINGE productions I wished to see, this one had my highest expectations.
"Henry 5" is a one-person show performed by Thaddeus Phillips, who takes the role of narrator, king Henry and everyone else in the production. In fact, he also plays a second role: Henry, the five year old boy who thought of making this play because they shared the same first names, give or take a V. Through the art of video, lighting effects, thousands of little plastic army men and a lot of elbow grease, he guides the audience through one of Shakespeare's own.
"Henry V" (which Henry says later found out meant 5) is a play especially accentuated on patriotism and victory through the battle of Agincourt; a battle that proved England's might against France during the Hundred Years War. Our modern-day Henry holds it true to modern-day life by converting England's patriotic fervor into America's in the war against France. From the call to arms, done through a humorous scheme of Armed Forces commercials and playings of "Elevate Me"; to the slanderously patriotic speeches, the equally offensive merchandise, and the death of many plastic soldiers. Through this, Phillips turns this play into a satire of its original intention through the many follies that people have been concerned with in our time regarding war in our country.
But it is not just the interpretation that gives a bite to this amalgamation of satire. Phillip's style of changing voices and tones at the whim of the bat for each character of the play is admirable as he goes from tones of "patriotic" Americans to insulted Frenchmen (you can tell who he plays by what position they are in and how they wear an item or what they carry). While his command and implementation of his "stage" went to limits that seemed unreal, almost hysterical in nature. The 10 inch soldiers he uses to speak to the king and other major members of this production add a zaniness that seems hysterical at times to points where you wonder whether he is intentionally behaving like the child he claims to be or not.
"Henry 5" is insane. I could watch this again, and while I'm sure that a second viewing would bring some light into certain things, it certainly will not make anything clearer to the demented mind of this genius at work. To be frank, "Henry 5" is a thinking man's production. It may not impress you as much as some of the more ambitious productions I have seen ("McBeth" and "Lost" both come to mind), but what it will do is give you something to consider through a way that seems beyond normal (how can you defeat the crazed genius of a one man crew and his plastic soldiers?). If you want something flashy, then I'd recommend something else, but if you want something new in your life, I recommend giving this show a watching.
Henry 5
Unlike the previous productions I had the benefit to see, this was a show that was hardly frequented with a heavy crowd. In fact, it surprised me: a puppetry-run show of crazy insanity promised to be very full of new things to enjoy and to be honest; out of all of the FRINGE productions I wished to see, this one had my highest expectations.
"Henry 5" is a one-person show performed by Thaddeus Phillips, who takes the role of narrator, king Henry and everyone else in the production. In fact, he also plays a second role: Henry, the five year old boy who thought of making this play because they shared the same first names, give or take a V. Through the art of video, lighting effects, thousands of little plastic army men and a lot of elbow grease, he guides the audience through one of Shakespeare's own.
"Henry V" (which Henry says later found out meant 5) is a play especially accentuated on patriotism and victory through the battle of Agincourt; a battle that proved England's might against France during the Hundred Years War. Our modern-day Henry holds it true to modern-day life by converting England's patriotic fervor into America's in the war against France. From the call to arms, done through a humorous scheme of Armed Forces commercials and playings of "Elevate Me"; to the slanderously patriotic speeches, the equally offensive merchandise, and the death of many plastic soldiers. Through this, Phillips turns this play into a satire of its original intention through the many follies that people have been concerned with in our time regarding war in our country.
But it is not just the interpretation that gives a bite to this amalgamation of satire. Phillip's style of changing voices and tones at the whim of the bat for each character of the play is admirable as he goes from tones of "patriotic" Americans to insulted Frenchmen (you can tell who he plays by what position they are in and how they wear an item or what they carry). While his command and implementation of his "stage" went to limits that seemed unreal, almost hysterical in nature. The 10 inch soldiers he uses to speak to the king and other major members of this production add a zaniness that seems hysterical at times to points where you wonder whether he is intentionally behaving like the child he claims to be or not.
"Henry 5" is insane. I could watch this again, and while I'm sure that a second viewing would bring some light into certain things, it certainly will not make anything clearer to the demented mind of this genius at work. To be frank, "Henry 5" is a thinking man's production. It may not impress you as much as some of the more ambitious productions I have seen ("McBeth" and "Lost" both come to mind), but what it will do is give you something to consider through a way that seems beyond normal (how can you defeat the crazed genius of a one man crew and his plastic soldiers?). If you want something flashy, then I'd recommend something else, but if you want something new in your life, I recommend giving this show a watching.
