Review by James Wilkinson
‘King John’ – Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Kimberly Gaughan. Assistant Director: Elena Toppo. Lighting: Erik Bailey. Sound/Music Design: Kimberly Gaughan and Daniel Boudreau. Presented by Praxis Stage at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts January 30-February 16, 2020.
You’re not going to catch me arguing everything that ever fell out of Shakespeare’s head reeks of brilliance. The man may have hit unparalleled levels of artistic genius, but every artist has an off day. Trust me, Shakespeare had several. I’m always confused when I see notices for productions of The Comedy of Errors because its existence means at least two people got together in a room and said, “This is going to be good.” (I promise you, it won’t) There’s a flip side to that coin, though, underrated plays that don’t see nearly as many productions as their more notable counterparts. (There’ll always be a special place in my heart for the outright lunacy that is Titus Andronicus.) Praxis Stage’s new production makes the argument that King John belongs in that latter category and it’s damn strong one at that. It’s not a perfect production, but I’m going to go ahead and dump most of the flaws it has on the shoulders of Shakespeare. In any case, the positives with Praxis’ production vastly outweigh the negatives. There’s a hipness to it, an inner groove that you succumb to. It slinks right up and before you can say a word, lights your cigarette then vanishes. The move is so effortlessly cool that it’s only later you realize you probably shouldn’t be smoking.
When you dive into the plot of King John it’s easy to see why this particular play has fallen by the wayside. Hamlet might be stuffed with ponderous blatherings, but Shakespeare at least remembered to throw in a few sword fights and a spectacular finish. The action of King John is much more subdued. It’s essentially about the backroom wheelings and dealings of those in power. Even when there are battles, they mostly happen offstage. Interesting as a piece of history, but not exactly prone to dynamic stage images. To the best of my memory, the last production we’ve seen of King John in the Boston area was Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s back in 2008, (apologies to anyone I may have forgotten). That production leaned into the transactional nature of the play, staging it as a kind of corporate takeover. That’s not exactly what we’re after here.
In a nutshell, (and I’m going to skip over a few minor details here), the titular King John (Michael Underhill), is current ruler of England. The French king Philip (Jeremy Johnson) believes that John’s nephew Arthur (David Picariello) has a stronger claim to the English throne and wants to see him on it. The two countries are at the brink of war when a compromise is suggested. Philip’s son will marry John’s niece, giving John a stronger claim to the throne and providing France with a new territory. Nothing but good times ahead when the Catholic church steps in to have their say, the alliance fails and all hell breaks loose. Where it goes from there, I’ll leave you to discover in part because I’m still trying to work it out for myself. I’m not the first and I’m sure I won’t be the last to gripe that the play doesn’t have much of an ending. When we get to the final scene and you see where this has all lead to, you’re left with a bit of a shrug and a puzzled, “That’s it? Then what was the point of all this?” I’m not sure I have an answer for you.
If I’ve seemed harsh on the play thus far, it’s only because I’m teeing up to say that I think King John is one of the better directed shows that I’ve seen in a while and I think it turns out that way because the team is working with flawed source material. That alone makes it worth seeing as the challenge generates something really exciting. Director Kimberly Gaughan doesn’t waste time trying to hide the defaults or apologizing for them. Instead, she tackles them head-on, wrestling with them until she’s able to find a way to work with them, not against them. Just about every limitation you find ends up being an asset. You could get lost in all of the wordy text of a Shakespeare play, (many a director has), but Gaughan finds ways to keep the production feeling visually interesting. She leans into a pageant sensibility which allows her to play with how information is being fed to us. A battle is staged as the kind of elaborate dance you might find in the English royal courts. She’s well-aided by lighting designer Erik Bailey who pulls off an impressive design given the restraints of working at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion.
As the title character, Michael Underhill turns in a remarkably confident Shakespearean performance. It’s not immediately apparent as the show’s first act doesn’t give him a ton to do, but it’s there in the details. He doesn’t lock up at the prospect of working with a poetic text. There’s a looseness in how he holds himself as he slinks across the stage. It’s not a stagey performance, the lines slip out of his mouth with a natural ease. That first act sets the groundwork for the second half when John faces a moral dilemma and Underhill finally has something to skink his teeth into. Of course, he’s not alone on stage and the cast around him, in particular Jeremy Johnson as King Philip, and David Picariello and Jane Reagan in the ensemble, manage to carve out great moments for themselves.
There are a few missteps in Praxis’ production. The choice of a Fiona Apple song plays in the background of a war sequence and given that it’s a love song, the choice comes off as bizarre, (I’m guessing it was chosen for rumbling drums that make up the instrumentals?). And of course, there is that non-ending to contend with. But I only bring these points up because the production is worth this kind of close reading. It’s a remarkably intelligent piece of work. I don’t think they could have done any better and it’s exciting to think of what they might do next. For tickets and more information, visit their website: www.praxisstage.com
