The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 17.0465  Sunday, 21 May 2006

From: 		Jack Heller <
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Date: 		Wednesday, 17 May 2006 12:57:27 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: 	Henry IV on the Chicago Stage

Until June 18, Chicago Shakespeare is staging both parts of Henry IV. 
The performance this past Sunday was my first opportunity to see these 
plays performed. The texts were trimmed a bit (no hostler scene in part 
1), but not to a distracting degree. Strengths include strong lead 
performances for Falstaff, Hal, King Henry, and Hotspur. Weaknesses 
include costuming Glendower as if he were to appear in The Lord of the 
Rings with a performance indebted to the wizard in Monty Python and the 
Holy Grail. I also regret that some of the bawdiness of the language in 
part 2 was lost in performances which did not reveal those bawdy 
meanings. Those quibbles aside, I would recommend the show.

Jack Heller

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