Past Reviews

Regional Reviews: St. Louis

Blood Reigns: The War of The Roses
St. Louis Shakespeare

Also see Richard's review of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike


Jeff Loyd (center; and clockwise from left) Ben Ritchie, Charles Heuvelman, Maggie Wininger, and Erik Kuhn
I find myself in the awkward position of trying to convince you to go see a delightfully dramatic and ultimately engrossing play—but one that also happens to be three and a half hours long. And not a Valkyrie in sight.

Nowadays, we don't even blink if a show's just 100 minutes long, though we may blanch if we see there's even one intermission in the program—implying a whole evening's commitment. All our recently acquired short attention spans must be wreaking havoc with concessions revenues. And here there are two short breaks: just enough time to stretch your legs, before the next round of genuinely appalling palace intrigues.

Director Christopher Limber has freed his actors to tell the story of Henry VI (and Joan of Arc, and eventually Richard III) with great style serving side-by-side with absolute realism. Jeff Loyd is magnificently, gently regal as Henry, and Maxwell Knocke is deliriously dangerous as the Duke of York (father to Richard III). There are consistently great performances at every level of the production, and fine technical work, too, for a company that has in the past struggled with unevenness.

The story is necessarily sprawling, re-worked from Shakespeare's Henry VI Parts I, II and III: streamlined and integrated by Michael B. Perkins, Robin Weatherall and director Limber, into something just modern enough to be free-flowing, but with the tremendous heartbeat of the original Shakespeare, thrumming forcefully all along.

Maggie Wininger is beautiful (and occasionally duplicitous) as Margaret of Anjou, daughter of the king of Naples, taken to wed Henry—but with a secret romance to the Duke of Suffolk (before she even sets an elegant foot on English soil), played by a naturalistic Ben Ritchie. It's all a ruthless soap opera, though at a much better clip than any daytime drama. Of course, everyone has an angle. But it's all worked out without the faintest smirk or sneer—except, perhaps, for the French, and the Plantagenets. And what else would you expect from the like of them?

Joan of Arc is there, the shimmering Katie Warnusz-Steckel; and Margeau Baue Steinau makes for a formidable witch, conjuring a fearsome wraith before she's banished, and her noble husband (Jared Sanz-Agero) is ruined as well.

Before we go any further, I should probably say the many swordfights seem to be underwritten at great expense by Lloyd's of London. And they have apparently made very certain that absolutely no one will be injured, in any way whatsoever. Swords are drawn with great frequency, but ironically it's the only time the pace and action ever flag. The daggers that so often find their ways into the backs of unsuspecting noblemen are delivered with a lot more panache. So, if you happen to show up 45 minutes late, and miss most of the big war with France, well, blame it on me.

My admiration for Carl Overly Jr. continues to grow: among other roles, he's great as the populist Irish hero Jack Cade, hilarious and pandering to the mob, just as King Henry quits his cross-channel war, only to end up mired in Richard II's costly exploits on the Emerald Isle, all over again. It's a kind of kingly karma, after Henry's grandfather wrested Britain away from R-II, lo those many scenes ago.

Teresa Doggett, the Welsh-born actress, sets a fleet but ferocious tone as Warwick, another duke who makes a lot of hard choices—and manages to out-man several of the actual males on stage, without ever seeming to try. Charles Heuvelman is wickedly genteel as the Bishop of Winchester.

This is a remarkably strong cast from top to bottom, and the pace is excellent, notwithstanding all that tentative swordplay. The very youthful Alex Bollini is fine as the young Edmund, and Dan Haller makes a great young Prince of Wales. Tim Callahan is perfectly heroic as Talbot and (later) acrid as the glowering Buckingham.

Josh Saboorizadeh seems perfectly suited to be the handsome, cocky Dauphin of France, and later (the future, doomed) Clarence. Andrew Bayer is imposing as a young Allen Rickman-type in various roles—then much later, he seems very nearly oafish as an ostensibly young Richard III.

Mr. Bayer's own final moment in the spotlight, crooked and craven, is exceedingly delicious. And gleeful noises, along with sighs of guilty pleasure, could be heard all around the audience as he delivered us to the doorstep of his own high drama, and completed this great epic too.

I never say "don't miss it," but ... don't miss it.

Through March 29, 2015, at De Smet Jesuit High School, Ballas Rd. just north of Ladue Rd. For more information visit www.stlshakespeare.org.

The Cast
Jeff Loyd: King Henry VI
Maggie Wininger: Margaret of Anjou
Teresa Doggett: Earl of Warwick
Charles Heuvelman: Cardinal Beaufort; Bishop of Winchester
Maxwell Knocke: Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York
Ben Ritchie: Duke of Suffolk
Andrew Kuhlman: Earl of Salisbury
Erik Kuhn: Duke of Somerset
Tim Callahan: Lord Talbot/Buckingham
Dan Haller: Young John Talbot/Edward, Prince of Wales
Michael Pierce: Young Clifford/Dick the Butcher
Jared Sanz-Agero: Duke of Gloucester/King Louis XI
Margeau Baue Steinau: Eleanor, Duchess to Gloucester
Alex Bollini: Young Henry VI/Edmund, Earl of Rutland
Katie Warnusz-Steckel: Joan La Pucelle/Vaux/Alexander Iden/Son
Charles Winning: Murderer/Lawyer/Joan's Father/William Stafford/Edward, Earl of March
Andrew Bayer: Hume/Murderer/Soldier/Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Josh Saboorizadeh: Charles, Dauphin of France/George, Duke of Clarence
Carl Overly, Jr.: Regnier/Jack Cade/Duke of Northumberland
Anthony Wininger: Bastard of Orleans/Old Clifford/Smith/Exeter/Father
Shannon Lampkin: Margret Jourdain (a Medium)/Lord Say/Lady Grey
Jane Haller: Lady in Waiting/George Bevis
Joey Combs: Soldier/Messenger

Artistic, Administrative and Technical Personnel
Director: Christopher Limber
Scenic Designer: Kyra Bishop
Costume Design:Felia Davenport
Light Design: Jaime Zayas
Prop Design: Julia Graham
Sound Design: Robin Weatherall
Stage Manager: Abbey Lampe
Assistant Stage Managers: Jane Haller, Joey Combs
Dramaturgs: Michael Perkins, Robin Weatherall
Fight Directors: Erik Kuhn, Brian Peters
Light Board Operator: Carla Landis Evans
Technical Director: Erik Kuhn
Production Manager: Brian Peters
House Manager: Sally Liz Evans
Artistic Director: Donna Northcott

Photo by Kyra Bishop


-- Richard T. Green