Henry VI Part 1: Joan of Arc
Orlando Shakes • Orlando, Florida
Direction by Benjamin Reigel, Lorena Cohea
Starring Timothy Williams, Benjamin Reigel, Paul Bernardo, Anne Herring, Lorena Cohea
review by Carl F. Gauze
War and rumors of war: that’s the basis of all Shakespeare’s histories. Tonight, we find ourselves in the middle of one such war between the British and the French. The English seem more interested in killing each other than the French, while the French have their own internal agonies.
As we enter, England has just won an unexpected battle, and they work to consolidate their hold on their French territories and who gets the best seats at the victory dinner. Meanwhile, the French Dauphin (Giuseppe Pipicella) worries about dynastic concerns along with battle plans to stop the English, while the possibly insane, possibly holy emissary of God Joan d’Arc (Lorena Cohea) rouses the rabble and advocates attack. She may have turned the war in the confusion of battle, but nothing is strategically clear in this fog of war. And as in most wars, one side sort of wins, one side mainly loses, and no one is happy with the result.
This “Bare Bard” bare bones production takes an old school approach to theater. The set is sparse with an upper level used for hurling challenges and insults, while the largely empty lower stage fills in for court scenes and clattering battles. And if there is any doubt about location and motivation, the actors helpfully explain the scenario as we proceed. The cast only spent two weeks rehearsing, and for costumes, they ransacked the rather extensive Orlando Shakes costume shop that has built up over the decades. The cast are all seasoned pros, each having been in numerous prior Shakespearian productions. A prompter offers lines if needed, but that gentleman only had to assist maybe a half dozen times, and I’m sure the actors could have bluffed their way through.
While this was a spare, low budget production, it never felt cheap or skimpy. Stalwart Tim Williams may have been the best man on stage, but no one was unprepared, given the artifice of low-tech, high-concept staging. Lorena Cohea’s Joan brought a feisty yet creepy demeanor to her role, and she was alternately brutally harsh and emotionally needy.
Naturally, we look to Orlando Shakes to bring out the good silver war for our Shakespearean viewing pleasure. I was not disappointed in the production, even with the minimal set. After all, it’s the words that matter, not the price of the fake jewels in the crowns.
