Word: kinged
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Isham sparkles in his role as bastard son of Richard Coeur de Lion, a true-hearted Englishman ready to defend King and country against all comers. He baits his enemies and prances and banters during his soliloquies in the first half of the play. Isham's natural improvisations establish a rapport with the audience, which surrounds the Mather House stage on three sides...
Unfortunately, Isham's Phillip spends a lot of his time in the second half doing battle, as the play's complications take a more serious turn. Shakespeare uses Phillip's moral rectitude as a foil for King John's growing deceitfulness...
...THIS JUNCTURE, though, Pearson and King John take over as the most interesting characters on stage. While King John struggles with his own conscience--and a lust for power so strong that he orders his young nephew killed--Pearson projects paranoia and insecurity with shifting glances and frowning brows. Although partially excusable in an overly defensive king, Pearson's excessive shouting is out of place in his otherwise subtle portrayal...
...with all his histories, Shakespeare takes certain liberties with the actual course of events during King John's reign; he never mentions the Magna Carta, for instance. In trying to compress 30 years into an evening's entertainment, the playwright condenses many battles into slightly dull and strategy-filled second half. Aside from Pearson, the actors in this half seem unaware of the full motivation behind Shakespeare's lines...
...King John addresses the disruptive effects of the tension between monarchy and the Catholic Church, and the pull of "Commodity" (convenience) against loyalty. Pearson aptly conveys this struggle and Isham provides striking and personable contrast. Unfortunately, unclear motivations in the supporting cast and unrevealing lines by Shakespeare leave a less entertaining second half...