Theatre-NYC Henry IV and CLIVE

Henry IV at the Pearl and Clive



For Two more disparate plays to be seen in successive weeks I could not have made better choices.




In Shakespeare nothing is subtextual, in Brecht, subtext is text.




Both plays feature young protagonists finding their way in the world. One born wealthy, heir to the throne of 15th Century England, the other a debauched poet slumming the underground of 20th Century New York City. (Him, as with Falstaff, I can Identify with.)




There the similarities end. In a classic staging by The Pearl in their new space, which cleverly blends the bare bones of early 21st Century architecture with evocative elements of Shakespeare's London, complete with Boars Head, casks of Sack and ale, and period battle implements, bring Henry Bolingbroke, Prince Hal and Falstaff vividly to life. Strutting and bellowing and sawing the air thusly in the best possible ways...sans big name stars save for director Davis McCallum who has been everywhere lately from Brooklyn to off Broadway, the ensemble of Pearl members and new hires, almost all double or triple cast, proved admirable and up to the task especially with the smaller roles. Particularly magical is Lady Mortimer's protestation against her husband going to war. Her song in Welsh bewitched me. Brilliant job by Ruibo Qian. Dominic Cuskern, Chris Mixon and the ever fantastic Sean McNall keep the energy flowing in their myriad roles. Bravo Pearl for bringing the Henriad to NYC.




At the other end of the theatrical spectrum is a play called Clive by the New Group which is an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's first play Baal. This version by Jonathan Marc Sherman changes the time and place from pre-WWI Europe to pre-September 11th New York City. The play features big names like Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Zoe Kazan and is essentially esoteric in nature.




According to Eric Bently, "The mythic Baal was a fertility god, hence a god of life. This...drama presents the archetypal battle between life and death, Eros and Thanatos."




The play is about the nothingness of death that mars our wonderland fantasy of day-to-day existence. Nobody likes death. The opening scene reminded me of another Ethan Hawke vehicle; Hurly Burly by David Rabe which also featured in its opening scenes copious amounts of fine, snort-able powder, and a guy in a leisure suit. This play though has even fewer likeable characters in it. But the challenge for these actors as they delve into the murky depths of human archetypes is to flesh out intellectual arguments and depict a reality both foreign and accessible. I was captivated and engaged for the entire intermissionless one hour forty five minutes as folks vamped and sang across a surreal set of minced up doors rigged for sound. First virginity dies only to be resurrected as a slut, then a chanteuse. Best friends OD and impromptu funerals end up in escapes to deeper dens of inequities where homo-erotic jealousy prompts friend to murder friend. Clive is not a fiend. The drugs and drinks he imbibes in excess do not facilitate his hedonistic desires, they do not incite his murderous rampages, his disregard for life, his own or others. They are simply a medium of the times for all around him who attempt to share his wanton spirit. They serve to deaden the pain of knowledge, heighten the acuity of sensuality and lighten the mood of an otherwise doleful dirge. If Prince Hal woke up in Clive, he would have immediately recognized his Falstaff. A man for whom Honor is a lesser word and seldom if ever spoken. Lines like "you're a rat dying in the gutter. Who cares?" probably will not go down in theater history with the likes of "the better part of valor is discretion"' but in four hundred years, who knows? I do know if you have an adventurous spirit and you want to see movie stars behaving badly without it being a reality tv show :You won't leave Clive happy. But you will leave tremendously satisfied.




Kudos for the New Group in attempting a near impossible theatrical feat. Bravo the actors. In a world where stars do everything possible to show themselves in favorable light, these cats take the ultimate risks. There is no "good" light in this play. (That is not a commentary on the luminous lighting design by Jeff Croiter.)