\u201cKing John\u201d \u2013 Good Play about a Bad Guy<\/p>\n
Just as hurricane names are retired after they cause devastation, the name John
\nseems to be off-limits for British kings. One John was plenty. This was the same king who usurped his brother\u2019s throne while Richard was on the Crusades and the same who harried Robin Hood. He\u2019s also the king who was forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215 when his over-taxed barons demanded their \u201cancient liberties\u201d back.<\/p>\n
Marin Shakespeare\u2019s Managing Director, Lesley Currier, has revived the Bard\u2019s seldom-seen \u201cKing John\u201d with a dynamic blend of fine acting and history. To appreciate this production fully, be sure to read Ms. Currier\u2019s program notes before the action begins.<\/p>\n
John has succeeded his popular brother, Richard Lionheart — killed in France by a crossbow — and is receiving an ultimatum sent by Philip, King of France, to relinquish all English claims to French territory. John refuses, though war between the two countries is sure to result. The ambassador leaves, and a pair of brothers arrives, one of whom claims to be King Richard\u2019s illegitimate son. John\u2019s mother, Elinor, sees the resemblance, and the older brother is knighted Sir Richard. He\u2019s eager for the fight.<\/p>\n
Back in France, King Philip\u2019s ambassador delivers the bad news that England will not negotiate, and war is imminent. The court shelters young Arthur, son of John\u2019s older brother Geffrey, and his devoted mother Constance, Geffrey\u2019s widow.<\/p>\n
(Those who are keeping score can see that there are now three possible claimants to the throne. Will there be more?)<\/p>\n
A full-scale war erupts around the amphitheatre, after which it\u2019s agreed that John\u2019s niece, Lady Blanch, should marry Lewis, the French Dauphin; Arthur will be given a land grant as a consolation prize. Sir Richard, who has taken a fancy to Blanch, calls this peace agreement \u201cmost base and vile.\u201d Everyone\u2019s taking sides. Austria switches its allegiance to England; Cardinal Pandulph, the Pope\u2019s emissary from Rome, is turned away, but first he excommunicates John and warns that France must not become his ally. King Philip chooses to remain with the Church, and the fight continues.<\/p>\n
Shakespeare, by all accounts, never traveled, so it\u2019s pardonable that he might have thought France and England were closer neighbors. But here\u2019s where the Director\u2019s program notes are essential.<\/p>\n
Elizabethan audiences were proudly English and disdainful of foreigners. Besides, Gloriana herself might be in the audience. So Shakespeare\u2019s French are shown as foppish and arrogant, his Austrian\u2019s a brute in animal skins, and his Catholic emissary is deceitful. This way, even though King John is known to be a bad guy, he\u2019s not as bad as the others.<\/p>\n
There are thirty-three in the cast, and the ensemble playing is seamless. Scott Coopwood is a masterful King John, chilling in his conversations with Hubert (James Hiser.) Barry Kraft plays the beleaguered French King, torn between his love of country and this duty to the Church. Steven Muterspaugh portrays the Cardinal, accurately predicting John\u2019s end. Liz Sklar, mother to young Arthur, holds the audience with her grief when Arthur\u2019s been spirited away to England, and Erik MacRay is the ambitious Sir Richard.<\/p>\n
And yes, there is another heir. In a wonderful concluding scene, Sir Richard will deliver the crown, and the Plantagenets will be redeemed.<\/p>\n
\u201cKing John\u201d plays at the Forest Meadows Amphitheatre in Dominican University, San Rafael in repertory with \u201cMidsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u201d through Aug. 12. Parking and restroom facilities have been remodeled and greatly improved since last season. The amphitheatre is still outdoors, though, so playgoers should dress for the weather.<\/p>\n
Ticket prices range from zero (under 18 on Family Day matinees) to $22. For complete information or reservations, please see www.marinshakespeare.org or call the box office, 499-4488.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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