St. Crispin’s Day
BY MATT PEPPER
DIRECTED BY KEVIN CHRISTOPHER FOX
Sep 26, 2009–Oct 31, 2009
3829 N. Broadway
It’s the eve of The Battle of Agincourt, and Henry V prepares to lead a beleaguered band of peasants to a glorious and indelible place in history. Or it’s the eve of The Battle of Agincourt, and some tyrant is about to force a bunch of savage morons to get themselves killed in an unjust land grab.
In the trenches with some of Shakespeare’s lowest and funniest characters, an Irishman named Will urges his brothers in arms to attack the real source of their misery: the bastard wearing the English crown. But can the likes of Pistol and Bardolph forget about French prostitutes and looting churches long enough to change history?
Jeff Awards
Lighting Design, Sean Mallary; Costume Design, Joanna Melville
“How to transform Henry V, Shakespeare’s most stirringly patriotic play, into a sardonic indictment of war and imperialism? Playwright Matt Pepper manages it by shifting focus to the original play’s rogues (Bardolph, Nym and Pistol), adding a wacky plot to kidnap the king, and putting a decidedly cynical spin on Henry’s notions of government. Voila: black comedy where once there was a national myth … thought provoking and savagely funny. The real story here, though, is Kevin Christopher Fox’s staging for Strawdog Theatre Company. From Anders Jacobson and Judy Radovsky’s muddy, mist-enshrouded scenic design to the gleefully depraved performances of the cast, this production reinforces at every turn the argument that war degrades and distorts human nature.”
— Chicago Reader
“Publicized with the apropos tagline, “War. So Funny it Hurts,” St. Crispin’s Day marks a hilarious opening to Strawdog Theatre Company’s 22nd season. The tirelessly irreverent troupe stages a raucous and riotous historical comedy directed by Kevin Christopher Fox, making his Strawdog debut. Fox’s fresh perspective results in a nonstop, action packed, down and dirty (quite literally) take on battlefield dynamics.”
— EDGE Chicago
Cast
Marika Engelhardt
as Cecile
Carlo Garcia
as Tom
Carmine Grisolia*
as Nym
Kyle Hamman*
as Will
Tom Hickey
as Bardolph
James Joseph
as Father Morpath
Brian McCartney
as Fluellen
Caroline Neff
as Maryanne
John Henry Roberts*
as King Henry
Michael E. Smith
as Pistol
Creative Team
Matt Pepper
Author
Kevin Christopher Fox
Director
Jennifer Avery
Assistant Director
Anders Jacobson
Set Design
Judy Radovsky
Set Design
Sean T. Mallary
Light Design
Jordan Kardasz*
Ass't Light Design
Joanna Melville*
Costume Design
D.J. Reed
Props Design
Kevin O'Donnell
Sound Design
Matt Hawkins
Fight Choreographer
Kathy Logelin
Dialects
Jon Ravenscroft
Stage Manager
Nic Jones
Master Electrician
Cortney Hurley
Production Manager
* Strawdog Theatre ensemble member