New 'Henry V' at Chicago Shakespeare Theater Features Modern-Day Setting and Rock Music: Is It a Hit?

It’s not often a youthful out-of-town actor lands their first role in Chicago and gets cast as the ruler of England. At a Tony Award-winning theater, no less.

Elijah Jones must have impressed Chicago Shakespeare Theater with the same charisma he projects onstage as the titular king in “Henry V,” a lively production of Shakespeare’s history play about war between France and England. Jones made a strong impression on the opening night audience, even if he was a stranger to most of us in attendance.

It bodes well for the new era at Chicago Shakespeare, because new artistic director Edward Hall personally chose Jones to lead a vivid cast of veteran actors and new faces.

But who is Elijah Jones? He doesn’t have a Tony Award, and he isn’t in a hit movie or TV show, but there’s time.

WTTW News spoke with the Juilliard-trained actor about his past, present and future.

This interview had been edited for length and clarity.

WTTW News: This role has been played by actors from Laurence Olivier to Kenneth Branagh. How do you approach famous lines like ‘once more unto the breach’ or the ‘band of brothers’ speech?

Elijah Jones: To be honest, I’d never seen a production of ‘Henry V’ before. I was only familiar with the St. Crispin’s Day speech [‘band of brothers’] because it’s a monologue I auditioned with for grad schools. So I was coming in as a blank slate. I had to find my own version of this role, and I was fortunate that I didn’t have too many other Henrys in my head.

What do you have in common with King Henry? Youth, pride?

Jones: What I strongly identify with Henry, where I meet him, is in his perseverance. One thing that drew me to the character is that despite overwhelming odds, he stays the course. He stays committed to his mission, to what he believes he’s being called to do even in the face of dire circumstances. He’s facing 10,000 French troops. He’s greatly outnumbered, and he continues. So I think he and I are similar in that we will pursue our goals against all odds.

Do you have a favorite moment or line from “Henry V”?

Jones: Absolutely, my favorite line in the show is ‘We are in God’s hand, brother, not in theirs.’ That line just implies so much about life. We can get caught up in trying to impress certain people or keep up with trends. That line is a great reminder for me personally that this life is bigger than any one person or thing.

I was surprised to find out that you haven’t done theater in Chicago before.

Jones: Yes, it is my very first time onstage in Chicago. I actually auditioned for Juilliard here in Chicago back in 2017, and that was the only other time that I’ve been to the city.

You’ve been busy with Henry, but have you had a chance to explore Chicago?

Jones: I have not had any time because of rehearsals, but now that the show is open, I have my days back and I’m hoping to see more of the city. Somebody did take me to get my first Chicago-style hot dog. It was excellent, OK? I was a little nervous, because I don’t know that all these things belong on a hot dog. But y’all swear that this is good, so I tried it, and it lived up to the hype.

Now you gotta get some pizza.

Jones: That’s the next thing, hopefully sooner than later.

You grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and studied theater at Penn State. Did your family support your studies, or did they want you to have a backup plan?

Jones: [laughs] Yeah, they were like, ‘Get that dual degree in case this acting thing doesn’t work out.’ Against their wishes I did not get that dual degree. Once I got into Juilliard they were like, ‘Alright, maybe this guy’s got something.’ I don’t come from a particularly artistic family, so I’m kind of an outlier. They were like ‘Acting is cool, but you need a backup plan,’ and I was just like ‘Aah, do I?!’

Have they come to Chicago to see the show?

Jones: My parents and my younger sister came to the opening. I’ve had a few friends come to Chicago to see it, and I have more coming in later in the run.

Walk us through how you got the part.

Jones: I just got an audition notice in my inbox. They wanted a monologue on tape, and it didn’t have to be from ‘Henry V.’ Just put a Shakespeare monologue on tape, and I ended up doing the St. Crispin’s Day speech for my initial audition. A week went by, and I got an email saying they wanted me to fly to Chicago to work with Ed [Edward Hall, new artistic director at Chicago Shakespeare]. I flew out a couple of weeks later and worked with Ed one-on-one. Then I flew back to New York, and after a few days, my agents called and said they wanted me to play the role.

Boom, just like that. What were you like as a kid? An alpha, a born leader?

Jones: No, as a kid I was very shy. I don’t know if I’m shy anymore, but I’m still very reserved. If I’m a leader, I’d say it’s more in my actions. Henry has these incredible speeches that he gives. I’m not necessarily going to give a motivating speech, but I’m going to show up and be prepared every day and try to lead by the things that I do instead of the things that I say.

Favorite actors?

Jones: Oh, yeah. Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Don Cheadle, Mahershala Ali, Sterling K. Brown, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Nicole Beharie. I have quite a long list!

OK, this isn’t Shakespeare-related, but… Drake or Kendrick Lamar?

Jones: [big laugh] OK, did somebody put you up to this?

No, I just saw something about it on your social media.

Jones: This is hilarious, because this has been a theme amongst me and a couple of my castmates for quite a while now. I’m riding out with Drake. I can talk about this all day, but the short answer is Drake.

Fair enough. I’m sticking with Kendrick. Any parting words?

Jones: I’m fortunate to be surrounded by such an incredible cast of actors and also people backstage — stage management, our director. Everybody’s been so supportive from the jump that it’s made being king rather easy. I’m just loving my time here.

“Henry V” runs through Oct. 6 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier.

View the discussion thread.

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When Barbara Gaines founded Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 1986, the first production held on the rooftop of Lincoln Park's Red Lion Pub was Henry V, the story of a young king bound and determined to make his mark by pursuing a claim to the French throne. It's fitting, then, that following Gaines' departure as artistic director recently, her successor, Edward Hall, has selected to start his tenure at the Navy Pier-based theater with that same production, a nod to what was and, in its modernized setting and contemporary staging, what may be to come.

Shakespeare's Henry V is far from one of his most intricate tragedies; there is no undercurrent of betrayal, no treason or adultery. First performed in 1599, the play concerns a prince-turned-king audiences at the Globe Theatre would've recognized from the Bard's earlier Henry IV productions, a rollicking young man cavorting with Falstaff and generally biding his time until his ascent to the throne.

By the time Henry V opens, he is now King and he's been convinced that through an ancestral line here unfurled on a silly scroll of over-sized post-it notes, that he has a legitimate claim to the French throne, and he's willing to fight for it. The rest of the show is the various battles and entanglements he and his men find themselves in on their march to France.

Hall has updated the staging of the play to a modern-day setting, with his ensemble cast (more than half a dozen of them share the duties of the play's chorus, plus several other roles) decked out in fatigues and, while menacingly lingering around the lobby before the show, black balaclavas. That's not the only way the production is immersive, with Hall taking full advantage of the Courtyard Theater's thrust stage, multiple aisles and even balconies to send actors in and out of scenes. Scenic (and costume) designer Michael Pavelka extends the modern wartime vibes to the rafters and aisles, as well, swathed in camouflage-making moss and the like. It's all a bit intense, honestly, and not exactly a welcoming atmosphere to settle into.

In the title role, Hall has cast Elijah Jones, a Juilliard grad making his Chicago debut who makes a strong impression as a King battling for position among his men, against France and eventually with Princess Katherine, who he's slated to marry. Though at times it felt as if he wasn't quite up to the task of filling the stage with a regal presence, he nevertheless delivers a committed performance through the play's more memorable monologues.

Jones is supported by an energetic cast that Hall has break out into song more than Shakespeare likely ever anticipated, from a pre-show "London Calling" to an intermission filled (for some reason?) with a live set of military-themed songs (and a French ditty for good measure). Alejandra Escalante stands out as the Dauphin of France, Henry's foil across the channel and a snobby King-in-waiting, and Scott Aiello as unserious soldier Nym, who'd rather be causing mischief than towing the battle line.

All of these elements are par for the course for Chicago Shakespeare Theater, a company that regularly produces top-notch shows, many of which have moved on to Broadway and Tony Awards (Six, The Notebook and Illinoise most recently). And yet, in Hall's Henry V, these elements don't seem to quite add up to anything transcendent. Impressive, surely. But an unforgettable night at the theater you'll be recommending to friends and recalling years from now? Sadly, no.

And after mulling on it for a few days, I'm still finding it hard to pinpoint exactly why the show as a whole didn't resonate. I keep coming back to the overly militarized setting of it all, the cast in combat boots and wielding billy clubs. In a more classic setting, Henry's daunting battles and rousing speeches might have been more moving; in the contemporary one Hall's chosen, it's far too reminiscent of regional police in riot gear suppressing civilians, and it's all quite off-putting.

Barbara Gaines served as Chicago Shakes' artistic director from 1986 until last year; Hall took over for her in October, and his first season with the company starts with his helming Henry V. He'll return to the director's chair in spring 2025 for Sunny Afternoon, a jukebox musical about the Kinks, and in between, his first season will be populated by productions featuring a wide variety of perspectives and world views. I'm not suggesting by any means that Hall's inaugural season has begun with a whimper, but Henry V does leave plenty of room to wonder what else he may be capable of.

Henry V runs through October 6; tickets and more information are available online. Running time is 2 hours and 45 minutes.

For more information on this and other plays, see theatreinchicago.com.

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Elijah Jones (center) plays the title role in “Henry V” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Liz Lauren

I was standing at the bar at Chicago Shakespeare before “Henry V” when I noticed the unsettling figure in gray camo pants, a sweaty gray tank-top, combat boots and a ski mask leaning against one of the lobby’s surrounding glass walls. Then I started noticing the others, one slumped on a chair, another hanging out for patrons to pass as they headed toward the restrooms.

Atmospherics, of course. Edward Hall, the play’s director and the theater’s leader, wants to get us oriented, put us in a mood. In this case, the feeling was disquieting, but also unclear: Were these riff-raffish folks here to menace or protect?

I think it’s exactly that ambiguity that Hall is going for. Given leadership, they could do damage.

These characters become members of our chorus and, ultimately, the English army in Hall’s fluid and mostly engaging production of “Henry V.” Earlier on, they’re anarchic punksters singing “London Calling” by The Clash. Later in Shakespeare’s history play, they win a war.

They rise to this occasion, the play so clearly implies, because of King Henry V, or as he’s more commonly called, Harry, or Hal. This is the Harry who had, in his youth depicted in the two parts of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV,” rebelled against his responsibilities and cavorted with Falstaff and his band of petty thieves (who would probably take jobs as security guards and then rob you themselves, which is sort of what those hanging in the lobby seem inclined to do). Then his father died, and Hal became the very responsible Henry V.

Hall has cast Harry here with Elijah Jones, a recent Juilliard grad making his Chicago debut. Unlike the British punk reference for his old drinking buddy Nym (Scott Aiello, with pink mohawk), Jones’ Harry comes off as very contemporary African-American: cornrow braids, a suit that’s a size too big, some swagger. Hall refers in the program to this king as “streetwise.” Jones brings that quality, making his Harry seem capable of seeing through people, out-smarting some, connecting with others. He delivers the verse with aplomb, and very occasionally he gives Shakespeare’s poetry a rhythmic touch of R&B, particularly when he switches to seduction mode to woo the French Princess Katherine (Courtney Rikki Green).

Alejandra Escalante plays Mistress Quickly alongside Demetrios Troy as Pistol in “Henry V.”

Liz Lauren

Persuaded that he has a righteous claim to rule France and, given impetus by an insulting gift from the French Dauphin (Alejandra Escalante), Jones’ King Henry decides to go to war. (On the one hand, Harry’s choice is like Putin’s, starting an optional war based on long-ago claims with a desire to restore a nation’s sense of greatness; on the other, and certainly in rooting terms, he’s Zelensky, an absurdly unlikely ruler inspiring an underdog army to valiant heights. Discuss.)

“Henry V” contains Shakespeare’s, and the world’s, greatest motivational speech, sufficient to turn the tired into the energized, defeat into victory and, in Hall’s version, ne’er-do-wells into heroes. At Agincourt, with his troops exhausted and sick and outnumbered five to one by French forces, Harry galvanizes his charges with the promise of eternal glory and connectedness: “This story shall the good man teach his son;/ And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,/ From this day to the ending of the world,/ But we in it shall be remember’d;/ We few, we happy few, we band of brothers ….”

What’s problematic here is that this speech, and other of the play’s most famous scenes, come more glossily general than climactic or nuanced. They don’t seem to fully connect with what’s happening dramatically, and they’re pitched at a frantic, steady volume. They don’t build.

The strength of this production is not in the play’s best-known sequences, but in what really is an exceptional ensemble cast, most playing multiple roles and bringing lively personality to all. Escalante is a rakish Dauphin, but also an immensely likable Mistress Quickley (in a beautiful rag of a wedding dress by designer Michael Pavelka). Green charms as Katherine, but also has a fleeting, moving moment as a young lad deciding to change who he keeps company with. Demetrios Troy plays both a nobleman and a comic figure in Pistol who makes Harry and the audience choke up when he expresses his devotion. I could go on and on: Kate Fry’s take on Katherine’s governess; Rachel Crowl as the Welsh, confident mis-pronouncer Fluellen; subtle, surprisingly moving turns by Donte Bonner as Henry’s uncle-advisor and Jaylon Muchison as the French emissary, and others too.

This is one of those productions where the core storytelling comes off as standard, but the crevices of Shakespeare’s play are delivered with zest.

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Rulers long have known that prosecuting a war against a foreign enemy is a helpful way of shifting focus from domestic or familial strife. That accusation gets made by one side or another about most global conflicts and it’s one way of looking at “Henry V,” the history play by William Shakespeare that opened Friday on Navy Pier as the first production to be conceived by Edward Hall as the new artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

The two parts of “Henry IV” are consumed by the strife between the king and his profligate son, Hal, the Prince Harry of his day, and with the rumblings of the Mortimers, who think they have a better claim to the throne than the dominant Lancastrians. (They found a scribe sympathetic to their cause in the Bard of Stratford of Avon; as the British say, Shakespeare knew upon which side his bread was buttered.) But in “Henry V,” the mature Hal puts such matters behind him and unifies the domestically rebellious by invading France, partly pushing a dubious, lineage-based argument (aren’t they all?) and partly by persuading his subjects that the Dauphin’s disrespectful gift of tennis balls was all the excuse needed.

Shakespeare did not make battlefield endorsements like Taylor Swift and his studied self-effacement needs no further elucidation here. But there can be no doubt that Shakespeare put some eloquent words in the ruler’s mouth. The play is the prototype for Hollywood epics about heroic leaders who do not shirk the bloody risks of battle themselves, from “Braveheart” to “Game of Thrones.” The St. Crispin’s Day Speech (“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”) has been admired by generations of warriors for how well it articulates the veterans’ bond.

George Washington quoted from it in his general order to his troops in 1783. Laurence Olivier used it to gin up British spirits in a movie Winston Churchill wanted released in World War II. And University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh spoke it at a rally to celebrate the 2023 Wolverines’ national championship, even replacing the name of King Harry with that of his storied quarterback, J.J. McCarthy.

Hall and his designers, led by Michael Pavelka, want nothing to do with that patriotic, rah-rah stuff. At least, I think that’s the case; it’s not entirely clear in a highly creative, pulsing, never-dull-for-a-second production that is filled with interesting theatrical ideas and zestful performances from a deeply committed ensemble cast but suffers some from a lack of clarity, and characters who never seem to change with the circumstances as all of us, it fact, do.

Hall’s version of the British ruling classes is far from heroic. Indeed, the Dukes and the knights and the whatnots blend with regular soldiers who have one foot in the play’s period and another in the British soccer hooligan-punk culture, circa 1980 (they are partial to “London Calling” by The Clash). We are made aware of the horrors not just of war but of regular life as Henry, played by Elijah Jones, kills off, well, either dissenters or traitors, depending on your point of view. The altercation with France similarly is rooted in ego and pique: the Dauphin (Alejandra Escalante) is not making a serious statement and Henry’s response is similarly ungrounded in the stuff that should provoke war.

All of that is fair enough and au fait with potential authorial intent. But once we’re in sight of Agincourt, Henry turns into a great battlefield leader, motivating his men and expressing a desire for mercy toward his captors. Shakespeare certainly stacks the deck (the Globe Theatre sought its profits in London, not Paris), but if you have the hero as a mostly unsympathetic figure, which is the case here, you end up fighting the words. Henry’s interest in Katherine, Princess of France (Courtney Rikki Green) is written to be at least in part a conciliatory gesture. (I remember a Stratford Festival production of this play by Des McAnuff expanding this Anglo-French unification idea into a veneration of Canada!) Here it doesn’t even so much feel like an extension of conquest, which is another way to look at it, as a desperate solution from a worn-out soldier, looking for something to take home. And you’re not clear what Katherine thinks, either, because much of her limited stage time gets taken up with jokes about the French language. It’s a hole in the show.

Demetrios Troy (center), Alejandra Escalante and cast in "Henry V" in Chicago Shakespeare's Courtyard Theater on Navy Pier. (Liz Lauren)

Courtney Rikki Green (center), Kate Fry and cast of "Henry V" in Chicago Shakespeare's Courtyard Theater on Navy Pier. (Liz Lauren)

Jaylon Muchison, Adam Poss, Scott Aiello, Donté Bonner, Demetrios Troy, Ronald L. Conner, Rachel Crowl, Alejandra Escalante, Sean Fortunato, Kate Fry and Gregory Linington in "Henry V" in Chicago Shakespeare's Courtyard Theater on Navy Pier. (Liz Lauren)

Elijah Jones and Kate Fry in "Henry V" in Chicago Shakespeare's Courtyard Theater on Navy Pier. (Liz Lauren)

Demetrios Troy (center), Alejandra Escalante and cast in "Henry V" in Chicago Shakespeare's Courtyard Theater on Navy Pier. (Liz Lauren)

There’s a stand-out performance here from Rachel Crowl in multiple roles, each very different from the other. But the best moments of this show involve, for me, the late appearances of Sean Fortunato, as an emotionally wrecked King of France, and the character of Mountjoy (the superb Jaylon Muchison), here a Lapin-like figure who knows more than he lets on about the potential fate of those following and opposing Henry.

Jones plays the title character as a man in a fog who cannot find his way out (even with Katherine). It’s a fevered performance, and compelling at times, but the king seems the same at the end as when he began.

A hard-eyed look at Hal, I might add, is in sync with previous Chicago Shakespeare explorations; Barbara Gaines, the previous artistic director, was similarly uncharmed. Ha! No Kenneth Branagh-like silkiness for Hal here. This is Chicago, a city of reinvention, not a place designed to smooth the tracks of the well-connected.

Still.

War does change and equalize all who fight therein; “Henry V” knows that. So does Henry V himself. That’s a missing piece in what’s nonetheless a provocative debut for Hall.

Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.

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Review: “Henry V” (3 stars)

When: Through Oct. 6

Where: Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier

Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Tickets: $73-$92 at 312-595-5600 and www.chicagoshakes.com