Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...Rulers long have known that prosecuting a war against a foreign enemy is a helpful way of shifting focus from domestic or familial strife. That accusation gets made by one side or another about most global conflicts and it’s one way of looking at “Henry V,” the history play by William Shakespeare that opened Friday on Navy Pier as the first production to be conceived by Edward Hall as the new artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...They rise to this occasion, the play so clearly implies, because of King Henry V, or as he's more commonly called, Harry, or Hal. This is the Harry who had, in his youth depicted in the two parts of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," rebelled against his responsibilities and cavorted with Falstaff and his band of petty thieves (who would probably take jobs as security guards and then rob you themselves, which is sort of what those hanging in the lobby seem inclined to do). Then his father died, and Hal became the very responsible Henry V."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...The ensemble is mesmerizing, with especially memorable work coming from Rachel Crowl's malaprop-prone Welsh captain Fluellen and Jaylon Muchison as a French messenger, who creates an entire, nuanced character arc inside of three scenes."
Talkin Broadway
- Highly Recommended
"...Following the success of last year's production of Richard III, Chicago Shakespeare Theater is presenting Henry V. And just as he did last year, Artistic Director Edward Hall (seemingly) effortlessly captures the timelessness of Shakespeare's great mytho-historic play in a production that is funny, rousing, and wearily contemporary."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Recommended
"...This Henry V is a solid offering that should be seen and contemplated. While it breaks no new ground, perhaps what we need in this political season of crazy is a well crafted rumination on kings and the waste of war. We need to weigh the worth of our leaders and chose wisely who to follow."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Chicago Shakespeare’s Henry V is a fast moving action-filled production. It is martial, violent, nationalistic and very loud, but it still manages to include a bit of comic relief as well as moments of introspection. I remember the first time I saw Henry V, back in 2014, I said it was like watching the Military Channel, all war, all the time – and I just couldn’t get involved. This production had me from the moment the ensemble cast marched into the Courtyard Theatre singing A Pair of Brown Eyes (by the Pogues) – and as the Chorus deliver the Prologue – until the Chorus returns at the end."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Recommended
"...Artistic Director Edward Hall's riveting, contemporary-looking revival of one of William Shakespeare's most exciting and thought-provoking dramas. It's a play filled with action, violence and bloodshed. This new production will most certainly bring to mind the terrible current events playing out on the world stage, while thrilling even the most complacent patron. Mr. Hall's production, peppered with a few songs and a bit of dance, offers moments of visual beauty and spoken eloquence. A talented cast working together with some of Chicago's finest theatre technicians and guided by a brilliant director is always a recipe for success. In Edward Hall's timely and emotionally stimulating production that extols the horrors of war, excellence is even surpassed."
Buzz Center Stage
- Recommended
"...The play itself carries a highly serious tone. The lighting overall is quite dark, with a muted set as we settle into England's army base (filled with impressive detail from Scenic Designer Michael Pavelka that consumes Chicago Shakespeare's Yard Theater). Sound Designer Emily Hayman does not hold back with the war scenes - successfully immersing the audience in the fear surrounding the soldiers on stage. Particularly with the heightened language of Shakespeare's text, the production feels as if it will be clouded in death and all that comes with it."
The Fourth Walsh
- Highly Recommended
"...Playwright William Shakespeare penned the tale of the young King of England invading France. He wrote of the motivations, negotiations, and ramifications of war. His depiction is a history lesson of the Battle Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War. Shakespeare utilized a multitude of characters, nobles and commoners, for the play. Knowing the story is extensive and a theatre stage is limited, The Bard used a narrator and chorus to continually encourage the audience to use their imagination to visualize the expansive nature of war. In this Chicago Shakes' production, the audience's imagination is less necessary. Director Edward Hall masterfully orchestrates the camaraderie and chaos of an epic siege."
Third Coast Review
- Recommended
"...When Barbara Gaines founded Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 1986, the first production held on the rooftop of Lincoln Park's Red Lion Pub was Henry V, the story of a young king bound and determined to make his mark by pursuing a claim to the French throne. It's fitting, then, that following Gaines' departure as artistic director recently, her successor, Edward Hall, has selected to start his tenure at the Navy Pier-based theater with that same production, a nod to what was and, in its modernized setting and contemporary staging, what may be to come."
PicksInSix
- Highly Recommended
"...The explosive, contemporary staging of Chicago Shakespeare Theater Artistic Director Edward Hall’s “Henry V” that opened Friday is a riveting soldier’s war story dedicated to the modern military code of honor, duty, service and sacrifice and amplifies Shakespeare’s depiction of King Henry V (Elijah Jones), initially perceived as an ineffective leader, to conquering warrior. Hall’s production broadens the intense combat action that is central to the work."
BroadwayWorld
- Recommended
"...While CST's HENRY V may not satisfy audiences looking for a full-throated celebration of military might (all of the play's central action occurs offstage), those patrons or elected officials seeking to better understand the doubts and trauma that plague veterans on and off the battlefield will leave the theater with a greater appreciation for what has been sacrificed in the name of our nation."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...All of this could not have worked without a strong Henry, and we get that with Elijah Jones in his Chicago Shakespeare debut. Jones is a remarkably charismatic actor with a powerful voice, a presence who commands every scene he's in. He shows each side of this paradoxical monarch-a king who can make a deal with money-hungry clerics while still believing his victory is from God, a man of the people who can inveigle them into giving up their lives for his cause, someone who weeps for a friend even as he orders his execution. I liked this Henry more than I usually do, though his justification for taking France remains dubious."
