Majesty, Magic and Mayhem at Agecroft Hall

Word on the street is that Henry IV, Part I may be Richmond Shakespeare Theatre’s best effort to date. I know plenty of theatre lovers who would fight for their own favorite, but it's good to see that this new entry is so clearly joined in the competition.

I’m ashamed to say I haven’t seen enough RST productions to assert which one may or may not be the best of all. But I can say this. Henry IV offers pleasures to spare, and if other productions have been better, then they must have been pretty sensational.

I love seeing theatre at Agecroft. I loved Henry IV, Part I.

I wish I were smart enough, or educated enough, to be able to watch Shakespeare and actually understand all the language. That’s a criticism of me, not of Shakespeare or any particular production—certainly not this one. Truth is, I fully understand about 50%—particularly if we’re talking about the histories and the tragedies.

In my youth, I used to hang on every word, trying to cogitate my way through each sentence. I learned long ago that that was just too exhausting. Now I let the language flow over me like beautiful music and through me like red wine, understanding all the words I can and feeling fulfilled by following the characters, emotions and story. That is fulfillment aplenty.

With this production, I was captivated. I still couldn’t understand every word, but I certainly understood the story. And the rest didn’t matter. There are four reasons why.

In alpha order, they are Phil Brown, Jack Parrish, Daryl Clark Phillips, and James Ricks.

I don’t want to take away from the many other fine actors on stage, or the capable direction and fight direction, or the beautiful setting, or Grant Mudge’s growing expertise as a producer, etc etc etc. But I don’t think I’ve ever before seen four such capable actors in a Shakespearean play in Richmond, VA. Unless maybe it was an As You Like It at VCU in the early 70s that may have starred, now that I think of it, Jack Parrish. Forgive me, Jack, if I’m wrong. The main thing I remember about that gorgeous production was a radiant Roxanna Prosser as Rosalind.

Anyway, all four of the gentlemen noted above knocked my socks off. Anyone who loves theatre in Richmond is CRAZY to miss their performances.

Phil Brown came over from England to play Prince Hal and I wish he would stay in Richmond forever. Are there any other roles you’re dying to play, Mr. Brown? Have your people call my people.

Phil is a good looking guy, and he fits the rake to champion character to a tee. He and Jack Parrish, who plays King Henry IV, have a wonderful father son chemistry, and he and Daryl Clark Phillips have an equally wonderful Hal / Falstaff chemistry. It starts out with Falstaff being the dominant force, leading Hal down the rosy path of debauchery, but then reverses in a really moving role-playing scene, when Hal begins to mature into the princely presence he will so fully inhabit by play’s end.

And then there’s James Ricks. I was prepared to be in a snit with James, because as I read the playbill before the show I noticed he failed to mention in his bio that he first came to Richmond to work at Barksdale, and that’s just how petty and persnickety I am. But about five sentences into his performance, all was forgiven.

In an ideal world, Hotspur should be a strapping lad, a physical equal to Prince Hal. At least in my ideal world. And James is not what one would call physically imposing. But once he started speaking, who cared. For my money, he completely mastered the language and, even when I couldn't instantly translate a 17th century sentence into my 21st century vernacular, I could read his inflections and his face like a book.

All four of these guys were terrific, and I selfishly hope they all four work at Barksdale sometime really soon. Three of them have in the recent past, and it's time for their return.

Before going, I want to say that the final fight between Hal and Hotspur was really well staged. It was gasp-worthy. If you don’t believe me, ask Jackie Jones.

I know how hard it is to assemble four such expert actors in one production. Thanks to Grant and everyone on the Henry IV team for a wonderful, rejuvenating evening.

--Bruce Miller

Photo captions: top center - James, Phil, Jack, Daryl, Grant; first right - Agecroft Hall; second right - portrait of King Henry IV

That Championship Reading

Posted by Bruce Miller
We had a great time last night reading That Championship Season by Jason Miller in the Kilgore McAuley Library at Barksdale Willow Lawn. The reading was pulled together by Scott Wichmann. The late Jason Miller is the man who introduced Scott to theatre a couple decades ago. Miller is also the actor whom everyone knows for having played, brilliantly, the younger priest in the film The Exorcist.

In the 1980s, Scott was a mere lad of 12, and he and Miller both lived in Scranton, PA, setting of That Championship Season. More than a decade earlier, Miller had received tremendous national acclaim for writing Championship, which opened on Broadway in 1972 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in '73. Miller immediately followed that triumph by playing the younger of the two titular priests in The Exorcist, the most popular film of 1973. For his role in The Exorcist, Miller received an Oscar nomination. In the late 70s / early 80s, Miller chose to retreat from the limelight and return to his hometown of Scranton.

It was there that Miller directed a community theatre production of A Thousand Clowns, and Scott auditioned for the 12-year-old boy. It’s a GREAT part, one for which Scott was perfect, so of course he nailed it. It was Scott’s first show, and it was directed by one of the most nationally acclaimed playwrights and film actors of the time. Talk about fate.

Scott has never forgotten Jason Miller, and the two stayed in touch until Miller’s untimely death in 2001. One of the things the two had discussed was Scott’s desire to one day play the role of Tom, the cynical alcoholic in That Championship Season.

So last night, Scott called together some pals (Joe Inscoe, Larry Cook, Grant Mudge, and, of course, the current other half of Scott’s Odd Couple, Dave Bridgewater). They sat around the conference table acting their hearts out, drinking bottled water and eating Chex Mix. Phil Whiteway and I enjoyed the privilege of listening in.

All five men were terrific. The play reads beautifully today, and it reminded me how visceral 70s Broadway was. The language is intense. Five middle aged men assemble for the 20th Anniversary of a high school basketball triumph, and explore the limits of macho gamesmanship and the power of friendship and forgiveness. After the reading was over, we all talked about the messages of the play to a 21st Century audience.

I don’t know if Barksdale will produce a revival of Championship or not. After last night's powerful reading, we're certainly considering it.

Barksdale first produced the show at the Tavern in 1975 with Jay Lundy, Burt Edwards, Lloyd Shockley, Frank Howarth and William C. Smith. In the early '80s, the play was made into an acclaimed film, directed by Jason Miller, and starring Robert Mitchum. Martin Sheen, Stacy Keach, Bruce Dern and Paul Sorvino.

Thanks to Scott and his pals for bringing this searing classic back to life.

--Bruce Miller