Revolution Shakespeare presents 'King John'

One of Shakespeare's lesser-known histories, King John focuses, as so many English history plays do, on who will replace him. John, little brother of Richard the Lionheart, was made notorious by many iterations of the Robin Hood legend, and featured as the butt of jokes in James Goldman's The Lion in Winter. Dan Kern's lively production makes Kevin Bergen's John a recognizable, though not likable, monarch in peril.

Kingdom in turmoil

Inspired by today's popular post-apocalyptic movies, television shows, and novels, John's story occurs not in 1200 AD England, but in a future Philadelphia suggested by Natalia de la Torre's punkish costumes, lurid makeup and exotic hair styles, and a hodgepodge of lethal weapons (axes, screwdrivers, nasty homemade things). Many of the characters speak with a belligerent regional accent, sounding a bit like The Sopranos. John calls the pope an "EYE-talian priest," for example. His jagged crown is made from cut-up Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cans. Any similarities to a contemporary boorish presidential candidate are deliberate.

John, supported by his mother Queen Elinor (Cathy Simpson), wars with French King Phillip (Jared Michael Delaney), who wants son Louis (Jahzeer Terrell) to become the English king, while Lady Constance (Adrienne Hertler) pushes for her son Arthur (Merci Lyons-Cox). The Pope, through his Emissary (Mitchell Bloom), supports Phillip, excommunicating John when he balks. Threats, insults, and fights ensue.

A fine ensemble, most playing multiple roles, supports this fast-moving story, including Carlo Campbell as opportunistic Philip the Bastard, Matt Lorenz as John's general Hubert de Burgh, and David Pica as the eccentric Duke of Austria. Some company members double as the production's onstage band: Sarah Stryker on drums, Terrell on bass, Hannah Van Sciver on keyboards, Delaney on guitar, and Lyons-Cox as lead vocalist and, as soothsayer Peter of Pomfret, our acerbic sideline commentator. Their accompaniment features original songs and underscoring by Christopher Colucci that drive the action.

The outdoor experience

I attended a preview performance last week in Hawthorne Park, where the setting sun matched the story's grim arc and allowed Andrew Cowles's appropriately stark lighting to sneak up on us, while electrified music and war cries bounced off the homes surrounding the park. Artistic director Griffin Stanton-Ameisen and his close-knit company are certainly adept at handling outdoor performance's uncertainties.