Henry V
“Williamson’s Henry V is theatrical, suspenseful, and accessible.”
-- The Westfield News
“Positively revolutionary…In the three shows that Elizabeth Williamson has directed at Hartford Stage in the past 19 months, she has varied not just the types of plays she does but the styles in which she does them. Her instincts can seem counter intuitive, but she invariably succeeds. She brought an overt theatricality to “Cloud 9,” somethings which that Caryl Churchill classic does not always inspire. She gave a grand staging to Sarah Gancher’s intimate “Seder,” using a large multi-roomed set and severe sound and lighting effects. Now she delivers a “Henry V” that is as open and unadorned. The set is the floor, decorated like a world map. The auditorium has been redesigned as an arena stage. It’s all wonderfully disorienting. “Never was monarch better fear’d and loved than is your majesty,” the Earl of Cambridge tells Henry early in this perilous, provocative play. Hartford Stage brings the fear, the love and — in a roundabout, sneaky manner— the majesty.”
--Hartford Courant
"Hartford Stage's production of HENRY V is a thrilling and engaging story told with a real sense of urgency and one that is as relevant in today's world as it was when it was written... Director Elizabeth Williamson has taken on the difficult task of bringing the story to life for a 21st century audience, made even more complex by the in-the-round and simplified staging. I initially thought I would miss the grand sets that have been a high point of Hartford Stage's last two Shakespeare plays (A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, COMEDY OF ERRORS) but I was immediately drawn in by the energy that the simplicity created. This lack of distraction caused me to focus more on the dialogue and the interactions on stage than the sets and costumes, creating a more immersive and satisfying experience. In this production, imagination is a powerful tool that Ms. Williamson and the cast use to its full effect."
HENRY V
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Elizabeth Williamson
Hartford Stage
October 11, 2018-November 11, 2018
Scenic Design: Nick Vaughan
Costume Design: Beth Goldenberg
Lighting Design: Stephen Strawbridge
Sound Design: Matt Hubbs
Original Music: Christian Frederickson
Dramaturg: Yan Chen
Fight Choreography: Greg Webster
Production Stage Manager: Robyn Zalewski
Cast: Karen Aldridge, Miles Anderson, Liam Craig, Kate Forbes, Stephen Louis Grush, Peter Francis James, Felicity Jones Latta, Anthony Michael Lopez, Nafeesa Monroe, Jamie Rezanour, Evelyn Spahr, Baron Vaughn, Mark Lawrence, Haley Tyson, Reid Williams