If you are frustrated with the lack of imagination as it relates to language under our current President, then maybe it is time to take a trip back to a time when kings roamed the land in battle and in the pursuit of love. If so, then “Henry V” by William Shakespeare is just the ticket.
Produced by our region’s
Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company (PCSC), “Henry V” is part of Shakespeare’s canon of plays devoted to the English Monarchs and is one of my favorites.
What I have always enjoyed about this particular play is the heroic warrior-king language that peppers so many of the scenes of this action-filled story leading a group of misfit soldiers to battle the well-trained and heavily outnumbered French Army.
It is hard not to get misty eyed nor sit still in your seat when the famous speech from Henry V is delivered right before the battle of Agincourt. This is why the power of a well written speech can often lead others to achieve the unthinkable in battle and is the stuff big Hollywood blockbuster’s writers wished they could emulate for the big screen. Even the wooing of the woman he seeks to make his own is a thrill to behold and provides a nice bookend to this story of battle.
For PCSC’s production of “Henry V” they have cast Actors' Equity Association’s actor Paul Riopelle will return once again to our local stage to play King Henry and is directed by Angela and Francis Boyle.
The cast also features actors Alyssa Banister, Mike Dodge, Ryan Farrell, Josh Fremer, Amanda Grah, Michael Hays, Kat Hermes, Bridget McCarthy, Ashley Normand, Steven Schwall, and Scott Wright.
Performances are June 16, 17, 23, and 24 at 8:00 p.m. and June 18 and 25 at 3:00 p.m.. Tickets are $14 for adults, and $8 for students and seniors.