Live and in person at various outdoor venues around ONTARIO until Aug. 21, 2022.
Written by William Shakespeare
Adapted and directed by D. Jeremy Smith
Lyrics by Germaine Konji
Music by Kelsi James and Germaine Konji
Production designer, Julia Kim
Cast: Hume Baugh
Richard Alan Campbell
Ximena Huizi
Rosalie Tremblay
Ben Yoganathan
King Henry Five is Driftwood Theatre’s return to live performance after a three-year hiatus.
D. Jeremy Smith, the always daring, inventive Artistic Director of Driftwood Theatre has adapted Henry IV pts 1 & 2, Henry V resulting in King Henry Five. D. Jeremy Smith wanted to create one play, culled from three of Shakespeare’s history plays, that would show the clear development of Prince Hal from irresponsible prince, to the maturity needed to be a king.
From the programme note: “An ambitious adaptation of three Shakespeare plays, King Henry Five is a powerful story about community, the families we inherit and those we choose, and the legacies we leave behind. Set against the backdrop of a contemporary patio bar and featuring Driftwood’s signature blend of music, puppetry and Shakespeare’s captivating poetry, King Henry Five rolls into outdoor community spaces across Ontario this summer.
As with all of Driftwood’s production, D. Jeremy Smith has directed a lively production of King Henry Five that uses the breadth of the outdoor space (in this case it was Withrow Park). Exits and entrances are through the attentive audience or around them. Costume changes are often done on the fly and are as entertaining as watching the actors portray their characters.
The cast is a mix of veteran actors: Hume Baugh as Falstaff and others and Richard Alan Campbell as King Henry 1V and “Quickly” among others, and those making impressive debuts: Ben Yoganathan as Prince Hall and later King Henry Five and Rosalie Tremblay who sings the various songs beautifully and plays a compelling Catherine.
The production tours Ontario and returns to Toronto Aug. 16, 17 and will play Christie Pits Park for those two performances. All tickets are pay-what-you-can. For details on the touring dates please go to: