April 21-May 14: Henry IV

By William Shakespeare
adapted by Dakin Matthews

April 21– May 14, 2005
Charity Randall Theatre, Oakland

Writer: LISSA BRENNAN
City Paper

Beauty, it’s claimed, is in the eye of the beholder. So is everything else. Take theater -? although clues and insights overflow from any text, purists can be damned, for there’s no single set and pat blueprint for bringing a character to life. Every actor’s embodiment of a part is different. In Shakespeare’s Henry IV, for example, there are many ways to interpret the role of Prince Hal, Henry’s tavern-haunting son. The same can be said for the part of laudable Hotspur.

And there are numerous manners in which someone working on a version that features alternating Hals/Hotspurs can construe their own production. David Conrad, who with Scott Ferrara trades off the roles in Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre’s new offering of Dakin Matthew’s adaptation, says, “The show’s not going to change that much. We’re little and these characters are huge.” Show director and PICT Artistic Director Andrew Paul sees it differently. “I think the show will be radically different [depending on who plays what role],” he says. “I want them to interpret the words in their own ways.”

Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, with a sizable cast, a running time topping three hours and painstakingly choreographed combat sequences, is a formidable beast even without Hal and Hotspur doppelgangers. But Conrad, Ferrara and Paul are confident they’ll succeed. The casting will switch Hals and Hotspurs performance by performance, and while the actors have been allowed to find their own paths, they’ve grown from watching each other. “It definitely pushes us,” says Ferrara. “We encourage each other.”

The cast also features Sam Tsoutsouvas, making his triumphant return to Pittsburgh following his success as Frank Lloyd Wright in City Theatre’s Work Song; and local favorites including Brian Barefoot, Martin Giles, John Gresh, Tim Hartman, Susan McGregor Laine and Sheila McKenna.

“The play’s got fantastic swordplay, unbelievable political intrigue, and some of the best comedic scenes,” says Paul. “I think it’s literally a play that has something for everyone.”

PICT presents Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2. Thu., April 21, through May 14. Charity Randall Theater, Oakland. $28 (students $15). 412-394-3353