Off-Broadway Review: Henry VI at the Public Theater

A Medieval Game of Thrones…For Real

BY CHRISTOPHER BYRNE

In the late 1580s, revenge tragedies were all the rage on the London stage. The trend had begun with Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, which had bowed in 1587 and had been a sensation.

Shakespeare, ever the populist playwright, had served up his offering in the genre with Titus Andronicus the next year (approximately), and Hamlet, the iconic example of the form was still a few years away, bowing in 1601.

In the intervening years, Shakespeare wrote the three parts of Henry VI, among his first history plays, which were first seen in 1592 and were also popular, according to reports of the period.

I had not considered Henry VI as a revenge tragedy until I saw the spellbinding production of all three parts, cut and condensed into two, now on stage at the Public Theater in Manhattan in a production by the National Asian American Theatre Company.

Essentially, it is the story of 49 years of turmoil in England—the length of Henry’s reign. Civil wars, shifting allegiances, violent deaths, battles, rebellions, intrigue, and blood…lots of blood. (It should be noted that the literal blood is all implied, but the piece is gory enough as it unfolds on a blood-red platform, designed by the scenic team called dots, covered with what look like ashes—a fitting metaphor for a world wracked by internal strife.

In its full versions, Henry VI can be heavy sledding for an audience not aware of the history, but in Stephen Brown-Fried’s highly theatrical adaptation and stunning direction, the story is exciting, clear, edge-of-the seat adventure. Even with the 16-member company doubling and tripling on roles, there is never a question of who is who or, more likely who is doing what to whom. The emphasis in this production is on the political intrigue of an unstable group in power and the violent lengths they will go to achieve their ends.  Of course, this naturally has echoes in our own time, but Brown-Fried handles all that with a deft touch, allowing the audience to draw their own parallels—always preferable to my mind.

I’ll leave it to you, should you be so inclined, to look up the history and then marvel at the ways in which a theatrically savvy Shakespeare turned “the accomplishment of many years into an hourglass,” as the Prologue to Henry V says. Yet, the tale’s twists and turns, while largely true and having occurred a century before the play was first staged, deliver all the epic scope and grand guignol of fiction like Game of Thrones. You might say the plot had been ripped from the headlines…if newspapers weren’t a couple of centuries in the future.

All kidding aside, this is marvelous theater, and for the full effect and impact, you should see both parts in one day, a matinee and an evening. In addition to the skillful direction, the seemingly tireless all-Asian company brings the story to powerful life. Speaking of tireless, special mention must be made of fight choreographers Orlando Pabotoy and Kimiye Corwin. The actors use Asian bō staffs and curved daggers in the many fights, rather than traditional Medieval weapons. The result is an elegance and artistry in the choreography that stands in stark contrast to the reality of the mayhem represented.

Jon Norman Schneider reprises his performance as Henry from NAATCO’s 2018 production. Henry was often thought to be weak and easily manipulated, but in a strong and centered performance, Schneider approaches Henry as a would-be peacemaker, a man not given to violence.

Mia Katigbak is a splendid as Humphrey of Lancaster, later Duke of Gloucester. Humphrey is fiercely loyal and a savvy politician, but who is ultimately ground up by the political machinations. Katigbak plays the full range of the character with power and presence.

Teresa Avia Lim is ferocious as the power-hungry Queen Margaret. She is desperate for Henry to be more aggressive, perhaps like her alleged paramour Richard Plantagenet, played with cunning and clarity by Rajesh Bose.

Of course, this being true(ish) history, there is no happily-ever-after button on the end, and the struggles will go on, notably through the scheming of Richard, the second Duke of Gloucester in the play, who becomes Richard III. Julyana Soelistyo is steely and focused on the prize, everything one could want in the prequel to a bloody usurper.

The abstract costumes by threeASFOUR [sic] are sometimes over designed and distracting, but they do give the production a consistent look, though one that might be more at home at an avant-garde runway show. A little way into the show I found myself wondering if this was Henry VI in Space, but I made up my mind to just go with it. The clarity of the piece and the excitement of the story are what resonate and entertain.

These are plays that are seldom performed, so for a Shakespeare fan, this production is a wonderful gift. For those who love an epic story marvelously told, this is for you, too.

Henry : A Trilogy in Two Parts
NAATCO a the Public Theater
465 Lafayette Street, Manhattan
Parts 1 & 2 Alternate at 7 PM Tues-Fri, Both Parts at 1 PM and 7 PM, Sat, Sun through July 16
$79 each for two show package, individual performances $89
Publictheater.org
Part 1: 3 hours, 1 intermission
Part 2: 2 hours, 45 mins, 1 intermission
Production photos by Hanjie Chow, provided by the production
Featured photo: Jon Norman Schneider as HENRY VI
Posted June 27, 2026