THE LIFE AND DEATH OF KING JOHN to be Presented at A.R.T/New York Theatres

Smoking Mirror Theatre Company, an emerging Shakespeare troupe, will present "The Life and Death of King John" from August 28 to September 14 in Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T/New York Theatres. Director John Gordon will stage Shakespeare's instructive political thriller, which has been whimsically referred to as "House of Cards," Shakespeare-style.
 
The play, also known as "King John," is set in the turbulent world of Medieval Europe and centers on the fierce rivalry between two claimants to the English throne. After the death of King Richard I (the Lionheart), his young nephew Arthur, the son of Richard’s older brother Geoffrey, is the rightful heir. But Richard’s younger brother, John, seizes the crown for himself. Behind this dynastic struggle stand two formidable women: Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, John’s mother and Arthur’s grandmother, and Lady Constance, Arthur’s fiercely protective mother. Each is driven by ambition and the desire to wield power through their sons. The play is also a dark meditation on how ideals like honor and virtue are crushed under the weight of political ambition and personal gain--what Shakespeare calls “commodity.” Rich with lyrical poetry and marked by violent twists of fate, "King John" remains chillingly relevant in an age of power grabs, corruption, and moral compromise.
 
It is a deeply political play, and while it may be one of Shakespeare's lesser-performed histories, it speaks powerfully to contemporary concerns--especially authoritarianism, corruption, revenge, and kakistocracy (government by the least qualified or most unscrupulous citizens). Its tale of illegitimacy, power, lust, betrayal, and manipulation seems to presage our current political environment, dominated as it is by authoritarian rhetoric, corrupt dealings, vengeful governance, and rule by the unfit. It warns us that when legitimacy is eroded and character no longer matters, the very idea of the common good collapses.
 
The production will have a variety of music from Gregorian Chants to modern music to Japanese drumming to Vikings songs. The play has one live duel with weapons and two stylized choreographed battle scenes choreographed by Bellamy Woodside Ridginger.
 
The cast includes Bellamy Woodside Ridinger as King John, Ruby Rich as Lady Constance, Tessa Buckley as Arthur and Victoria Hedgeberry as Queen Eleanor.  The ensemble also includes Erica Cafarelli, Martin Challinor, Robert Gordon, Cam Gray, Mateu Watauga Parellada, Fareeda Pasha and Tony Savage Thorn.
 
Lighting design is by Eric Nightingale. Set and costume design are by John Gordon and Ruby Rich. Musical Director is Cam Gray.
 
Smoking Mirror Theatre Company, led by John Gordon and Ruby Rich, presented "The Tempest" last year at Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T/New York Theatres. Thinking Theater NYC (Stephanie Pietros) commended the production, writing "the cast’s wide-ranging skills stand out, both in presenting the range of emotion the text demands as well as expertise in choreography and music." The company had previously presented "Timon of Athens" in 2007 on Theatre Row; "Shakespeare's Fools and Clowns" (a collage of scenes from various Shakespeare comedies featuring clowns and fools) at Playwrights Horizons Theater School (2017), and "Shakespeare's Prisons: Tales of Conscience and Illusion" at Theaterlab (2023). John Gordon directed all four productions and played Timon in "Timon of Athens." He has appeared as Claudius in "Hamlet" (Steps Theatre Company, 2000), performed improv widely in NYC, and over the years directed numerous theatrical short pieces for special occasions, including for charitable and educational organizations.