Skip to main content
KING JOHN
Folger Theatre

There is little doubt that King John was the worst king of England, bad in every way.  So bad that the response was his being confronted to sign the Magna Carta.  Leaving that historic fact of the story out, Shakespeare’s play King John shows him for a true rotter.
The Folger Theatre’s production could not be better.
For starters, there is a pre opening scene, where the twelve actors explain who they are and their relationships to the others in history.
Women stand out as have key power roles:   Kate Goehring as Eleanor of Aquitaine, mother of John, and Holly Twyford as Constance, mother of Arthur, the son of John’s dead brother Geoffrey.  Both demonstrate strong wills in powerful passionate speeches that are standouts in the play.
The question is simple, who has the right to the throne, the son of the elder brother, or the next brother in line.  Eleanor stands for her son John, and Constance for her son Arthur.
What complicates things is that John owns half of the territory that is now France, and Arthur is backed by the French royals.
Brian Dykstra’s King John is powerful, cunning and cruel. He succeeds in challenging the French and making deals with  Louis the Dauphin  (Akeem Davis) by offering his niece  Blanche  (Alina Collins Maldonado) in marriage. 
John also obtains custody of Arthur (Megan Graves) whom he imprisons under the care of Hubert (Elan Zafir).  Torn between orders from the king and what his heart knows is right, Hubert will save the life of the the young prince in a move that  will lead to tragic end for all.
Kate Eastwood  Norris is superb in the complicated role that is of Philip Faulconbridge, bastard son of Richard the Lionhearted (and thus related to John).   
Multiple roles are played by Sasha Olinick as Cardinal Pandulph, the grisly looking papal Legate, Howard W. Overshown as Philip, the cunning King of France, as well as Brian Reisman as Robert Faulconbridge  and Maboud Ebrahimzadeh as Lord Salisbury
The twists and turns of all of this reminds of a condensed two hour television serial.  But all this happened in the 13th century, and Shakespeare wrote his play in the 16th century.   
But somethings—like the theme of greed for power— never change and neither does  the Folger’s excellence in presentation  of a rare but worthy play for our attention.

At the Folger Theatre until Dec. 2, 2018

Popular posts from this blog

From EUGENE ONEGIN  to  DER ROSENKAVALIER  (Or Everything you want to know about love is at the MET OPERA) Great music and great literature meet on a great stage at the Met Opera’s production of Eugene Onegin on the big screen on April 25, 2017.  The words are Pushkin’s from his  Russian novel-poem.  The music is by Tchaikovsky  for what he termed “lyrical scenes.” Tchaikovsky’s music is forever embedded in our consciousness  with his fantasy ballets like  Nutcracker   and Swan Lake .   Pushkin’s work has provided the inspiration for dozens of musical works, including another famous Russian opera, Boris Godunov.     This team of Tchaikovsky and Pushkin is a sure thing but while there are many scholarly interpretations of Pushkin’s work, there is none that so gets it at its core as this opera. Using the very words from Pushkin’s poem,  Tchaikovsky built the opera through a series of powerful co...
Read more
  Once is here again!   The Brooklyn Gallery Players reach into the treasure chest of great musicals to bring Once alive and on stage in Brooklyn (until to December 17, 2023). Director Mark Gallagher , and Music Directors David Fletcher and Brendon McCray have crafted a vibrant production, seamlessly integrating the 15 member cast in roles  as both actors and musicians. Set in Dublin, the  formula for the poignant love triangle  is simple. Patrick Newhart  plays Guy, an Irish musician who has given up  on love as he sings the award winning classic  Falling.  Newhart mastered the bombastic busking guitar style and performed each of his songs with intensity and passion Sophie Smith-Brody  is Girl,  a Czech woman  who will inspire him to try again both in  love and with music. Smith-Brody performed each of her disparate songs with aplomb,  from the opening classical piece to her plaintive solos – If You Want...
Read more
THE GREY SUIT SOCIETY   A STORY OF FAITH, FAMILY, DEVOTION, BETRAYAL AND…RATS? A message that might seem so obvious in real life turns into a magic moment of awareness when it is takes to the stage with talented directors and a fine cast. Carlos Heredia is the actor, director and writer who with David Fletcher as music director has brought together a group of actors for a family friendly opera. Together they sounded as good as the show’s beautiful theme of peace. Who is the star of a show that is about family and devotion?   Leading the cast, is Analia Heredia as Nia who must go against society’s grain, to bring human hypocrisy into the light.   As she hopes to move out of the shadows in to a bright new world, her family includes Claudillea Holloway as Jelani,  Georgia Fender as Etana,  Sonya Rice as Achi, Carly Ameling as Jane,   Codie Milford as Omari,  Liz Neitge as Janna,  andTiana Markman as Dini. The “others” are ...
Read more