Princess Katherine (Fedna Jacquet) and King Henry V (Ty Jones) are brought together in the shadow of war (photo by Ruth Sovronsky)

Classical Theatre of Harlem
Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial Center
3940 Broadway at 165th St.
Wednesday – Sunday through September 4, $20-$48
SummerStage: August 29, East River Park, free, 8:00 (August 27-28 canceled because of weather)
www.classicaltheatreofharlem.org
www.summerstage.org

Henry V is just the right play for the Classical Theatre of Harlem to take on as its first full-scale production since the November 2009 departure of the company’s founders, artistic director Alfred Preisser and executive director Christopher McElroen. Under new producing director Ty Jones, CTH, which was founded in 1999 with a mission to bring high-quality, professional theater to the Harlem community, faces an uphill (primarily financial) battle that in some ways is echoed by Shakespeare’s history play, in which the far-outnumbered English army prepares to fight French forces in the 1415 Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years’ War. Jones, who won an OBIE for his performance in CTH’s The Blacks: A Clown Show, stars as King Henry, who has grown up since his days as Prince Hal. Now a firm, stalwart leader, the king is developing a confidence that rallies those around him, particularly after he deals with a trio of traitors and later gives one of the greatest locker-room talks ever, the St. Crispin’s Day Speech.

Directed by Jenny Bennett, this ninety-minute Henry V makes the audience, which is seated on three sides around the center of the action, feel like it’s part of the play. The actors, who are on floor level, regularly make solid eye contact with the audience, and they continually enter and exit up and down the aisles. There is actually a preshow choreographed number in which the performers sing and dance the rules of the house, building an intimate community right from the start. Rachel Dozier-Ezell’s costumes are a stylish mix of Mad Max and the Warriors, with lots of torn leather and chains, while Anka Lupes’s set design features an assembly of girders on which the characters often congregate. The acting ranges from solid to amateurish to scenery chewing; the highlights include the aforementioned St. Crispin’s speech (which could double as a dramatic pep talk to the theater company itself from its new producing director) and Carine Montbertrand’s expository tour de force as the Archbishop of Canterbury, but the comic relief offered by Nym and Pistol falls flat, and it is sometimes difficult to hear the dialogue when an actor is standing with their back directly to you. The battle scene is wonderfully choreographed as an exciting dance piece with the actors throwing forth red ribbons that represent bloody swords. All in all, Henry V signals a terrific start to the next generation of the Classical Theatre of Harlem. The play runs through September 4 at the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial Center, located within the historic Audubon Ballroom; there will also be a free outdoor 8:00 performance August 29 in East River Park on the Lower East Side as part of the annual SummerStage program. (The August 27-28 shows have been canceled because of Hurricane Irene.)