By SARALEE HUNTSMAN
Shakespeare's 'Henry V' conquered the audience at its premier performance in the Pardoe Theater Wednesday evening.
BYU's production of 'Henry V' emphasizes the evils of war and human relationships.
Director Rodger Sorensen said, 'We wanted to focus on the idea that ultimately man needs to be obedient within the structure in which he lives.'
The cast did a wonderful job in portraying with deep emotion the lives of the characters in Shakespeare's play.
'Henry V' is mainly about war as King Henry marches with his troops to conquer France. However, this production also emphasizes the importance of God in Henry's life and giving credit where credit is due.
King Henry is always thanking God for his good fortune and prays to him on behalf of his soldiers. In one touching scene, King Henry prays for God to help his knights to not be afraid of their enemy's large numbers.
Tim Robinson, an MA student in English from Tuckahoe, N.Y., played an excellent King Henry. His voice was clear and understandable, and his actions accurately reflected the meaning of his dialogue.
'In reading the play several times and reading some of the critical approaches, I saw that there was another side to him (Henry),' Robinson said. 'He cuts throats and then he goes too far. He is almost blood thirsty at times.'
The cast prepared for the play by studying the text a great deal before rehearsals even started. Sorensen said he read the play several times, and read scripts from the different movie versions that have been made.
'There are a lot of battles in the films, but Shakespeare didn't write any battles in the play,' Sorenson said in a place release. 'So we are not focusing on the fighting.'
The stage used in the production was tilted so that the audience could see the actors better. Robinson said the rake stage was a standard convention used in Shakespearean times.
Peter McKinnon beautifully designed the lighting of 'Henry V'. The lighting was dim and positioned just right to make it seem that the only light on stage was coming from the candles and torches held by the actors.
In the scene where King Henry and his men are in the woods, their camp fires actually came out of specially made holes in the stage. With the sound of fires crackling and crickets chirping it was as if the audience was in the woods with King Henry.
'All of the technical elements were just beautiful and they all responded to the same vision and fulfilled it,' Sorensen said.
Amidst the turmoil of war in 'Henry V', a couple of comical reliefs were included. The scene in which Princess Katherine is learning English was humorous and the theater was filled with laughter from the audience.
'I could sense that the audience was with us for most of the show,' said Richard Clifford, a senior theater arts major from Mission Viejo, Calif. 'For the most part they seemed to be really engaged.'
Robinson said that the reactions from the audience feeds them and helps them shape scenes differently. 'Shows change with audiences,' he said. 'It's almost like everything before the audience is make believe.'
The cast enjoyed working with Sorensen who is new to BYU as of last semester.
'He is humble,' Robinson said. 'If others came up with a good idea that didn't fit perfectly with his understanding, he embraced it immediately.'
The company began rehearsals in October, and their hard work has produced an audience friendly performance. They made Shakespeare more understandable.
'Shakespeare and his ideas and the way he talks and thinks about our lives is something that every student should make some decisions about -- weather they want to understand him or leave him out of their lives,' Sorensen said.
'Henry V' will run until Feb. 8. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee on Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $7 for students, $8 for seniors and $9 for the general public.For tickets and more information, call the HFAC ticket office at 378-4322.