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| Prince Hal (Joey Rizzolo) watches Falstaff (Eric Cowley) reenact a sword fight in Prince Hal and Falstaff. |
Black River’s Prince Hal and Falstaff Opens Tonight
Previous articles about the Black River Theater Company
Doo-wopping Shakespeare (1998)
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Shakespeare for the Entire Family (1999)
JULY 7, 2000--Free summer theater returns to Oberlin this evening, with the opening of Prince Hal and Falstaff, a rousing adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I by the Black River Theater Company (BRTC).
"Family was the concept behind the adaptation," says Paul Moser, BRTC artistic director and associate professor of theater at the College. "We worked hard to make it accessible to kids--to give the characters a historical context. The production begins with a prologue assembled from Richard II.
"It features a lot of multiple casting and plays up the humor of what is arguably more a comedy than a history. The last act also includes a suspenseful 15-minute combat scene replete with broadswords."
The main action revolves around Prince Hal and his father, Henry IV, who deposed his cousin, Richard II. His right to the throne challenged by the rebel Percys, Henry IV tries to enlist his son's aid, "but Hal is off drinking and having a wild life with Falstaff and his buddies," says Moser. The arc of the story is Hal's journey from adolescence to adulthood.
Ten alumni, community, faculty, student, and local equity and nonequity actors will portray some 25 characters in the two-and-three-quarter-hour production, the company's fourth free Shakespearean effort in as many years.
Among the performers is theater educator and actor Joey Rizzolo '97 as Prince Hal. Rizzolo also is the fight choreographer for the production. He is technical director for MAD* Factory's August production of the musical Pippin.
Veteran Black River actor Eric Cowley will portray Falstaff. Cowley, who is production manager and technical director for concert production at the Conservatory of Music, has been in every production since the company's inception, notes Moser.
New this year is Equity actor Neil Thackaberry--artistic director for Actors Summit, Akron's new and highly acclaimed professional theater--who will portray Henry IV.
Rajiv Punja '99-—who performed in previous BRTC productions--will play the role of the rebel Hotspur--Harry Percy. Punja returned to Oberlin to join the cast shortly after finishing a feature film in India.
The show runs each weekend through July 30 in Hall Auditorium, with Thursday and Saturday performances at 7 P.M., Friday performances at 8 P.M., and Sunday matinees at 2 P.M.
Admission is free, but seating is limited, and tickets are required. They will be available at the box office starting three hours before each show. Reservations may be made by calling 440-775-8169.
Moser founded the semiprofessional company seven years ago after years of working with professional regional theater programs. The first two Black River Theater productions, developed in workshop, included The Problem with Dinosaurs and Sanctuary (also a video).
Recent productions included The Tempest in 1997, As You Like It in 1998, and Midsummer Night's Dream in 1999. To accommodate the company's growing following, productions have moved from Hall's Little Theater, to an arena set up, to the main stage. The last two years have seen its audience increase almost three fold. Moser says a full 25 percent of those attending have been 18 years old or younger.
Funding for Black River Theater productions comes from the Nordson Corporation Foundation, the Nord Family Foundation, the Ohio Arts Council, the Oberlin Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Oberlin College Office of the President.
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