William Shakespeare’s 1597 play “Henry IV, Part 1” has many memorable qualities, but it is best known for introducing one of the Bard’s most beloved and memorable characters: Sir John Falstaff. The role is so pivotal that any production pretty much succeeds or fails depending on the actor playing the part.
Fortunately, in Folger Theatre’s current presentation, the role is in the capable hands of Delaney Williams, who gives a superlative and highly amusing performance as Sir John. (Williams first played Falstaff two decades ago in an ineptly staged local version of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” that just about everyone involved — including yours truly, who was in the cast — would like to forget.)
On first appearance, Falstaff seems to be an Elizabethan equivalent of W.C. Fields, a wastrel and mountebank who avoids hard work with the same dedication that he pursues such primal pleasures as drinking, eating and carousing. His partner in crime is none other than Prince Hal (Tom Story), son of King Henry IV (Rick Foucheux), who shares his mentor’s sense of irresponsibility.
But when civil war breaks out between the King and the Earl of Worcester (Brain Hemmingsen), Falstaff becomes a much more complex figure. As Hal seeks reconciliation with his father by leading the troops in battle, Falstaff eloquently muses that the world might be a better place if there were more cowards like him. (Paraphrasing Cicero, he states that “The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have saved my life.”)
The rest of the cast upholds the high standard set by Williams’ Falstaff, particularly Foucheux, Story, Hemmingsen and David Graham Jones as Worcester’s hot-headed son, Henry Percy (aka Hotspur). Paul Mason Barnes’ direction deftly balances the more intimate moments of the play with the blood and thunder of the climatic battle scenes. Thankfully, this is Shakespeare served straight up, without any attempts to reinterpret the material or impose postmodern touches.
Backed up by first-rate technical support, Folger’s “Henry IV, Part 1” is an excellent theatrical experience that makes one hope that Part 2 with the same actors will be forthcoming in the future.
If you go
Folger Theatre’s production of “Henry IV, Part 1” runs through Nov. 16
Venue: Folger Theatre, 201 E. Capitol St. SE, Washington
Performances: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays and 2 p.m. Saturdays & Sundays
Tickets: $34 to $55
More info: 202-544-7077 or www.folger.edu/theatre
