Theater Review: Utah Shakespeare Festival’s ‘Henry IV Part 2’ deserves a view

Written by Kaye Bair

The quality of Utah Shakespeare Festival’s banquet of theater delights is traditionally sky-high, and this year is no exception.

Hmmm. What to choose, what to choose. A word to the wise: take a look at “Henry IV Part 2.” This production is really worth it.

For many years, we have seen Brian Vaughn work his acting magic to enliven many successful Utah Shakespeare Festival productions. As the director of “Henry IV Part 2,” Vaughn creates great poignant moments as we grapple not only with the War of the Roses but with questions of our own parent-child relationships and our own true destinies.

The acting is polished and surprisingly nuanced, every character distinct and powerful. The royal costumes are exquisite and befitting royalty. The set has a gilded regality that would make the bard proud, and the touches of fog and tattered banners from a bygone war gives it a ghostly dimension. The dark conspiracy to overtake the king is no less than profound, and each of the many seasoned actors is superb.

The powerful but withering Henry IV, played by the incomparable Larry Bull, has prevailed at Shrewsbury, while the heir, Prince Hal, played by Sam Ashdown, whiles away his time carousing in the company of lowlifes. As the king lay dying of a mysterious disease, he has little trust that his elder son will carry on the realm with honor and save the desperate land. The king bemoans, “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.”

The heir to the throne, Hal, has been following in the footsteps of a more appealing father figure, the oft-soused Sir John Falstaff, a rotund and hilariously corrupt royal played by the irresistible John Ahlin. His true colors come through when he insincerely promises Hostess Quickly, played by Bree Murphy, marriage. In the same moment, he flirts with the lusty and much-trampled Doll Tearsheet, played by the delightful Saren Nofs-Snyder.

The audience squeals with delight at Falstaff’s antics as he manages his ample waistline, frets about his age, expounds on the health properties of sherry and how it warms the blood and makes the drinker wiser. The highlight for many is Falstaff’s ragtag group of hopeless non-soldiers. The director’s clever and artistic humor shines brightest right there.

However, there are weightier concerns than Falstaff.  The uncle may be crazy, but he can be quite persuasive—especially involving the heir—and the future of the throne is at stake. Prince Hal eventually realizes in a heart-piercing moment that he must abandon his youthful rebellion and rise to the need.

Does he succeed in making the crown his own, we wonder? And about our own youthful rebellion, making peace with our own parents and their expectations. Did we succeed? We still wonder.

And thus, our fascination with Shakespeare lives on. Thank you, Utah Shakespeare Festival. It’s a privilege.

Grade: A-