Seattle Shakespeare Company Presents HENRY V, Previews 4/15

The political chicaneries of war get a satirical send up in Seattle Shakespeare Company's 1960s-themed production of Henry V. Directed by Russ Banham, Henry V begins previews on April 15 and opens on Friday April 16 at the Center House Theatre. Henry V will run through May 9, 2010.

It's 1962, and with the arms race and space race at full throttle, pressure is mounting for the new ruler Henry and his cabinet cronies to do something. Well...anything, really. After the monarch of France insults him, power hungry Henry leaps into war (with some prodding from his "advisors"). Outnumbered and facing sure disaster, Henry's political instinct kicks in to gamble on one last epic fight. Henry V exposes the behind the scenes maneuverings of a government's war machine.

"The way I see it, Henry V is not really a history play," says director Russ Banham. "With the Chorus commenting upon the action trying to sway our feelings, no real battle scenes, and a final act that ends in a marriage, I think that Shakespeare was making a bigger statement about how war is never ending rather than just recounting English history."

Featured in the cast of Henry V are: Allan Armstrong (King of France), Gordon Carpenter (Bardolph/Williams/Burgundy), Marcel Davis (Westmoreland), Russell Hodgkinson (Pistol), David S. Hogan (Bedford), Tim Hyland (Ely/Fluellen), Jerick Hoffer (Mistress Quickly/Alice), James James (Grey/Orleans), James Lapan (Canterbury/Gower), Patrick Lennon (Boy/ Mountjoy), Chris Macdonald (Scoop/Constable), Joseph P. McCarthy (Nym/Bates), Stephanie Shine (Chorus), Richard Nguyen Sloniker (Cambridge/Dauphin), Alexandra Tavares (Katherine), and Evan Whitfield (King Henry).

Set design for Henry V is by Jason Phillips, with costume design by Pete Rush, lighting design by Andrew D. Smith, with sound design by Matt Starritt.
Performances of Henry V are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 2:00 pm (April 24, May 1 & 8) and Sundays at 2:00 pm.
Special "Shakespeariences" will be offered in conjunction with Henry V including: "Jumpstart into Henry V" a facilitated introduction to the play (April 22 at 6PM - $10) and post play discussions on selected performances.
Tickets to performances of Henry V are now on sale and range from $30-$36 for adults and $22-$25 for seniors and students. Pay-What-You-Will previews are on April 13 and 14 at 7:30 PM. Discounted tickets are available for groups of ten or more.
For ticket reservations, call the Seattle Shakespeare Company box office (206) 733-8222 or go online at www.seattleshakespeare.org. Regular box office hours are Tuesday through Friday 1:00-6:00 PM. During performance weeks, in addition to regular hours, the box office opens Saturdays 1:00-6:00 PM and Sundays 12noon to 4:00 PM. Seattle Shakespeare Company performs at the Center House Theatre at Seattle Center.

Support for Seattle Shakespeare Company's production of Henry V is provided by Boeing, PONCHO, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, 4 Culture, the Washington State Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and KUOW.

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