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As I sat in the audience waiting for the performers of DANCING HENRY FIVE to take the stage, I had no certain expectations for the show that was about to commence. A rendition of Shakespeare’s historical play could be one of two things: a boring simulation or a new and engaging representation. 

The lights dimmed, and the monotonous voice blared over the loudspeakers, asking the audience to turn off their cell phones. Most of the audience, including me, ignored the announcement. The performers appeared, walking swiftly across the stage, carrying signs that read, “Turn Off Cell Phones.” The signs were carefully handcrafted and showed time and effort. With respect, I powered down the addicting device that seemed to carry my life and feasted my eyes on the stage. Read more »

Valda Setterfield in DANCING HENRY FIVE. (Photo by Paula Court.)

The moon, Los Angeles, the Arctic Ocean, the hood, California wine country: all awesome places to be (well…some of them, anyway). In addition to being a collection of random places of debatable awesomeness, they are all untraditional settings for Shakespearean plays. Actors from Patrick Stewart to Anne Hathaway have taken turns portraying the classic characters we have come to know, love, and miscast. There have been adaptations with music and modern twists. From film to television to Amanda Bynes, Shakespeare’s work has been shredded, beheaded, and put back together again many times. We see these unique approaches so often that the untraditional has become the traditional. And, in the tradition of the untraditional, Peak Performances audiences were lucky enough to experience a revival of David Gordon’s DANCING HENRY FIVE. Read more »