After six years in development, Fenix Theatre debuts 'Henry IV, Part One'
photo courtesy of Kat Moraros Photography for Fenix Theatre Company
Since high school, "Henry IV, Part One" has been a passion project for Peter Brown, artistic director of Fenix Theatre Company. He initially rejected Shakespeare when the playwright's works were assigned in his literature classes.
"Shakespeare was never meant to be read," Brown said.
He quickly changed his opinion after attending a two-week program for gifted and talented students. He chose Shakespeare as his concentration, and one of his instructors focused on "Henry IV, Part One." The performance captivated Brown, beginning a 40-year journey to bring the play to the stage under his direction.
"It's a play I've wanted to mount since, well, since I was 17," Brown said. "Now I'm 57."
The play is now running for the first time in Fenix's history at Deering Oaks Park in Portland. Performances begin Thursday, July 9, at 6:30 p.m. and continue through Saturday, Aug. 1.
An ill-fated first attempt and the loss of a friend
After becoming Fenix's artistic director in 2019, Brown set his sights on producing the play in 2020. But before the proverbial curtain could rise, the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down. A few months later, David Butler, a respected actor in Portland's theater community who had been cast as Falstaff, was diagnosed with cancer, to which he would eventually succumb.
"I thought this production was done," Brown said, choking back emotion. "I thought this production was gonna be over, that it was never going to happen for me."
Kevin O'Leary, who plays King Henry IV in the show, suggested casting an old friend.
Michael Howard now lives in Texas, but a decade ago, he was a well-known theater actor in Portland. Brown worried the company could not afford to fly Howard to Maine and house him during the production. O'Leary, however, was undeterred.
"Kevin being Kevin, he convinced Michael to come and figure out all the problem spots and logistics," Brown said, shaking his head in lingering disbelief.
"A son who is the theme of Honor's tongue..."
"Henry IV, Part One" takes place in England during the early 1400s. The play follows King Henry IV as he faces rebellion against the crown. Meanwhile, his son, Prince Hal, the heir to the throne, struggles between his royal responsibilities and the carefree lifestyle of the commoners with whom he closely identifies.
Although the play explores the divide between the upper and lower classes, Sam Cutler said that this theme has contributed to misconceptions about Shakespeare's work. According to Cutler, who provides musical direction in the Fenix production, Shakespeare has long carried a reputation for writing "stuffy, highbrow theater." In reality, the playwright represented the opposite.
"Shakespeare is the most dirty, common-minded, foolish..." Cutler said, laughing. "Throughout his great tragedies, these moments of deep human heartbreak are preceded by clowns throwing human skulls around."
For Brown, however, the enduring appeal of "Henry IV, Part One" lies in its central conflict. As a teenager, he identified with the strained relationship between fathers and sons. Now, as a father himself, the story resonates in a different way.
The complicated relationship between parent and child is universal, crossing class boundaries. Like Fenix's long journey to bring the play to the stage, Brown said, life's greatest challenges often take time, and the right cast of characters, to overcome.
"That's really what the world of the play is about, to me," he said.
A history of Shakespeare in the park
Performing Shakespeare in public parks has long been a theatrical tradition. The practice predates one of the country's most famous productions, when Joseph Papp moved his Shakespeare workshops from New York City's Lower East Side to Turtle Pond in Central Park in 1954.
According to Cutler, the tradition stretches back even further.
"In the amphitheaters of Greece, it was this open-air performance for the citizens of Athens to come and celebrate these stories of their history and mythology," he said.
"At its core, theater was storytelling for all," Cutler said. "Storytelling that is not controlled by a producer that has vested interests. It's an opportunity for there to be public access storytelling."
Brown said free performances in the park also bring theater to people who may not otherwise seek out a Shakespeare production.
"A person can just be wandering through the park, catch sight of it, and get sucked into the story," Brown said.
"They wound my thoughts worse than thy sword my flesh"
In addition to directing the acting and the music, another emphasis of "Henry IV, Part I" is the fight choreography. Brown mentioned that the action sequences in the play are another eye-catching asset for the passer-by interested in wandering to the stage.
"This year, we're adding sword fights," Brown said. "Which is an element never done at Fenix."
Fenix Theatre Company enlisted Drew Copeland and Owen Philip Arthur to coordinate the cast. Brown pointed out that instructing the cast to fight is completely different than teaching them to act together.
"It's all about the character," Brown said. "But in terms of technique and the technicalities of it, they're so very different from each other."
"It's more akin to a dance than anything," Cutler added.
"Henry IV, Part One" will be performed every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the bandstand in Deering Oaks Park from July 9 through Aug. 1. For more information, visit fenixtheatre.com.