When Quasi-Productions announced it would be picking up the final part of the Henriad after the passing of Milwaukee Shakespeare, it was unclear exactly how Henry V would come together. Under the direction of Todd Denning, Quasi has assembled a cast that is an interesting mix of Milwaukee Shakespeare Equity actors, other professionals and Marquette University theater students. The finer points connecting Henry V to the other three plays in the series are somewhat lost in a story that has taken nearly five years to play out on various Milwaukee-area stages, but Quasi manages a compelling production.
Lenny Banovez stars as Henry V, now a fully accredited monarch who charges into Agincourt to dispatch the French. Though costuming does little to distinguish him, Banovez manages a performance that is charismatic enough to rest at the center of the play. No stranger to powerful narrations, Angela Iannone anchors the play's disparate scenes as the Chorus. Notable additions to a cast featuring top-tier professionals include Libby Amato as a very precise Mountjoy and Bonnie Auguston, who deftly plays both a boy and French royalty as Katherine.
Quasi's production of Henry V runs through June 7 at Marquette University's Helfaer Theatre.
