Any modern viewer of Shakespeare's plays knows they are famously hard to follow, even for those majoring in English like myself. Thus, one of the most impressive feats for a group of actors is making Shakespeare not only entertaining, but also comprehensible, and Cornell's Shakespeare Troupe did just that in their Feb. 6 and 7 performances of Henry IV. Witty and wonderful, the play follows the story of three main characters: Prince Hal (Alexandra Amane '29), King Henry IV (Zoey Zhu '27) and Hotspur (Adam Lease '29). As King Henry IV fights off a rebellion by Hotspur and friends, Prince Hal undergoes a dynamic shift from drunken trickster to valiant protector of both his father Henry and his kingdom.
However, the process to put on such a difficult production cannot have been easy. Lead actress Alexandra Amane ’29 explained that although the process started with actors meeting when they could, by tech week, "[we were] rehearsing from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. every single day and running throughout the entire show." Additionally, the cast was composed of people from a mix of majors, from those majoring in the performing media arts to STEM . Even those in PMA such as Amane recognize how wordy Shakespeare can be: "Sometimes I read it, and I'm like, what the heck are they saying?" The cast evidently learned though, getting in touch with their characters in a way that came across plainly on the stage. From Hal's emotional oath to his father that he will change his ways to Hotspur's angry outbursts towards King Henry, each actor and actress clearly understood their character's motives and movingly conveyed them to an eager audience. In this way, performing Shakespeare became a learning experience for both the audience and the actors. Having dabbled in Shakespearean acting myself, I can confirm learning all those lines is nearly impossible, yet the troupe's show ran two and a half incredible hours.
The Shakespeare Troupe was also working with a smaller stage (the Black Box theatre) and most likely a smaller budget, meaning the cast and crew really made the most of every set piece. I thought the mesh screens in the beginning, depicting Hotspur and Hal, were a particularly impressive choice. Furthermore, with every prop or set piece utilized, actors themselves dashed around between scenes, moving them around stage. In addition to memorizing lines and working with directors to develop blocking and acting, Amane adds, "We only had one stage hand really to help us with set transitions … [so] you're not only a character, you're also a stagehand." Thus, not only did they convert tricky material into a thrilling performance, but the cast also did a lot of work that would traditionally fall to a ‘tech crew.’ I actually thought the directors did a fantastic job integrating the two, as actors would sometimes mention or joke about objects as a way to get them off the stage, especially through Falstaff's (Keira Kim '28) character.
I also thought the choice to include ad-libs in modern English rather than Shakespearean English, though jarring at first, actually added to the comedic undertones of the play. In truth, part of what made Shakespeare so likeable in his own time was his wit, which can often fly over the heads of modern viewers, and I thought the ad-libbing brought that light satiristic tone back onto the stage. I also want to take a moment to shout out the stage combat. Maneuvering heavy swords in a realistic fashion without hurting anybody? What more can you ask from a group of college kids! In the dramatic final fight between Prince Hal and Hotspur, as well as other combat-heavy scenes, once again these actors' passion for the stage shone through, as well as their commitment to the production.
I imagine that commitment would never have been possible without connection. Amane told me that by the end of the production, "We felt like a family ... and it's beautiful, it really is, because you can go from barely knowing someone to feeling like you've known them your whole life just through the course of one show." That energy, that palpable and genuine love for the craft and the surrounding people on stage, really made Henry IV stand out, from the leads to the ensemble to the crew. As for this viewer, I left the Black Box Theatre impressed and excited to attend Cornell's Shakespeare Troupe's next performance.
Emily Federovitch is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at eaf258@cornell.edu.
