New York Times
August 21, 1981

'Henry IV, Part 1,' in the Park

By MEL GUSSOW

In John Vickery's performance as Prince Hal in ''The First Part of King Henry the Fourth,'' which opened Wednesday at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, there is a feeling of personal and historical inevitability. More than most actors I have seen in the role, Mr. Vickery makes it clear that Hal's quick maturing is deeply imbedded in his character. His true purpose has been dammed up behind his ''truant youth,'' and as he vows to his father that he will conquer Hotspur, he floods the stage with determination. In this intelligent and impassioned performance, we can see the seeds of the martial glory that will be the heritage of Henry V.

Coming after his performance as Malcolm in the Lincoln Center ''Macbeth,'' Mr. Vickery's Hal marks him as a gifted young actor with all the attributes necessary to play Shakespeare. He is a natural to do Hamlet.

Hal's foil, Falstaff, is a role that Kenneth McMillan embraces with the same warmth that he clutches a tankard of sack. He is a short, roly-poly, lovable Falstaff, who knows how to please a crowd - the audience as well as his cronies on stage. Mr. McMillan is not above a slow doubletake or a childlike plea for sympathy, but he never oversteps the boundary between congeniality and self-indulgence.

In contrast to Mr. Vickery's handsome, patrician Hal, he is a seedy Santa Claus. When he reclines, which he does often, our view of his face is blocked by his billowing belly, and when he tries to stand tall, he looks like a former Beefeater who has been cashiered out of the Tower guards. Mr. McMillan's guileful performance foreshadows Falstaff's comeuppance. As Hal ascends, can he afford such clownish impertinence so close to the throne? The two actors are partnered in their mutual responsiveness.

If the entire New York Shakespeare Festival production were on the high level of these two leading players, this would be a ''Henry IV'' of considerable distinction. Under the direction of Des McAnuff, the play is well spoken - except when the acoustical system performs an act of whimsy - but the staging wavers between the ingenious and the infelicitous.

Last season Mr. McAnuff offered a Bruegelesque version of Wolfgang Hildesheimer's ''Mary Stuart'' at the Public Theater, and there are indications in his ''Henry IV'' that he continues to be interested in establishing earthy atmosphere. The battle scenes, for example, are filled with dastardly dirty tricks, which become both awkward and excessive.

On Stuart Wurtzel's evocative two-tiered set, a moat surrounds a castle and is crossed by a drawbridge that also serves, when raised, as the roof of a tavern. The moat is used for alternate purposes: dramatic (a slain soldier falls into it) and comic (Falstaff climbs into a boat and is rowed out of it). At one point, Mandy Patinkin, as Hotspur, exits on horseback, and later Mr. Vickery enters on horseback. One wonders what Mr. McAnuff would do with ''The Winter's Tale,'' and the famous stage direction, ''Exit, pursued by a bear.''

Hal's great scene with his father is staged on the set's lofty balcony, apparently for maximum dramatic effect, but, for no reason, in the middle of the dialogue, Mr. Vickery is made to sit on the edge of the balcony, with his feet dangling into space in the manner of Humpty Dumpty. On the main stage, characters are too often placed on platforms or convenient carts in order to address speeches to unseen multitudes.

As Henry IV, Stephen Markle appears to be working beyond his years and vocal capacity; he forces his words so that we become aware of his breathing pattern. Mr. Patinkin, who would seem to be most appropriate for the role of Hotspur, is certainly hotheaded, but, as directed, he is playful to the point of being malicious. Sometimes he seems to be treating Hotspur as if he were Richard III. His conceit blurs our sympathy and blunts his heroism. He can be a powerful actor, as he demonstrated in ''Evita'' and as he shows at moments in ''Henry IV,'' but by the time that he meets Hal in combat, we find that we are rooting for Hotspur's defeat.

A few of the other actors are inept, and there is one performance that is obtrusively idiosyncratic. The rebel Glendower wears a pointed nose and a long, bogus beard, making him look like an 18th century provincial Shylock. Behind this absurd disguise, Max Wright whines again.

On the other hand, there are fine performances by Philip Casnoff as Poins, Robert Westenberg as the idealistic Vernon and Ralph Drischell who is authoritative as the deceitful Worcester. Add these supporting performances to the dominant ones by Mr. Vickery and Mr. McMillan and an uneven version of ''Henry IV'' reveals its countervailing strengths.

A Prince Grows Up
THE FIRST PART OF KING HENRY THE FOURTH, by William Shakespeare; directed by Des McAnuff; scenery by Stuart Wurtzel; costumes by Patricia McGourty; lighting by Richard Nelson; music by Richard Peaslee; hair and make-up by J. Roy Helland; fight sequences by B H. Barry. Presented by Joseph Papp. At the Delacorte Theater, Central Park.

Prologue, 1st Carrier and Peto	Philip Craig
King Henry IV	Stephen Markle
Lord John of Lancaster	Raphael Sbarge
Earl of Westmoreland and Chamberlain	Rex Robbins
Sir Walter Blunt	John Goodman
Henry, Prince of Wales	John Vickery
Sir John Falstaff	Kenneth McMillan
Bardolph	John Bottom
Poins	Philip Casnoff
Thomas	Ralph Drischell
Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland	Clement Fowler
Henry Percey, surnamed Hotspur	Mandy Patinkin
2d Carrier	Matthew Gottlieb
Gadshill	Larry Block
Lady Percy	Margaret Whitton
Servant to Hotspur	Val Kilmer
Francis	Richard Ziman
Vintner and Sir Richard Vernon	Robert Westenberg
Mistress Quickly	Beulah Garrick
Sheriff	Peter Rogan
Edmund Mortimer	Todd Waring
Owen Glendower	Max Wright
Lady Mortimer	Susan Berman
Archibald	Ralph Byers
Richard Scroop	George Lloyd
Sir Michael	Benjamin Donenberg
Messenger	Kevin Spacey

Lords, Monks, Serving Women, Tavern People,
Travelers and Soldiers

Susan Berman, Larry Block, Ralph Byers,
Christopher Colt, Philip Craig, Brian Delate,
Benjamin Donenerg, Henry Ferree, Paula Fritz,
Gerald Gilmore, Matthew Gottlieb, Brian Hargrove,
Mary Johnson, Val Kilmer, Linda Kozlowski,
Conal O'Brien, Rick Parks, David Price,
Rich Rand, Kevin Spacey, Jack Stehlin,
Todd Waring, Robert Westenberg and Richard Ziman.

henry iv index