Review: "Henry V" Conquers Carroll Park

Henry V 

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Jonathan Hopkins

Presented by Smith Street Stage at Carroll Park

Court Street and Smith Street, between Carroll Street and President Street, Brooklyn, NYC

Juhe 5-29, 2025

Smith Street Stage’s summer productions in Carroll Park are a beloved neighborhood tradition, and this year’s offering, Henry V, is a stunning way to celebrate their fifteenth anniversary season. While the production’s standout performances, led by McLean Peterson’s brilliant King Henry, are alone noteworthy, the staging, including fight choreography and original music, all contribute to this timely and timeless exploration of leadership and nation.

The production features a truly rich range of performances from its entire cast. Oliver Palmer stands out as both the Archbishop of Canterbury and Fluellen, making the former’s long-winded justification of Henry’s claim to the French throne humorous rather than mind-numbingly boring and embodying the latter by leaning into his characterization as an American southerner—a perfect and legible contemporary parallel for how the character’s Welsh identity would have been viewed in Shakespeare’s time. The comic holdovers from Henry’s past as a barroom swaggerer, Nell Quickly (Bobbie Edmunds), Pistol (Derek Chariton), Bardolph (Shayan Hooshmand), and Nym (Bryce Foley), perform their scenes with aplomb, nailing both the humorous and the somber moments. The physicality of Derek Chariton’s Pistol shines, both in his brawl with Nym (Bryce Foley) and later when he goes off to fight in France. Even characters with less time on stage, like Cambridge (Will Sarratt) and his fellow conspirators and the Boy (Vann Dukes) give memorable performances. 

McLean Peterson’s cross-cast Henry beautifully exemplifies the various moods and attitudes of a character at the height of his power, even if the repercussions of his misspent youth are barely sublimated when he must mete out justice on former friend Bardolph. Peterson encapsulates the Machiavellian nature of Henry’s treatment of the conspirators, seeming to be merciful at first only to make the impact of his unequivocal condemnation all the more powerful. The famous set piece of the play, the St. Crispin’s Day speech before the Battle of Agincourt, in Peterson’s portrayal feels less like a Machiavellian ruse and more like what we might imagine is the old Hal lurking just below the surface, friend and companion to all. This sense of the “real” Henry is only reinforced by Henry’s genuine emotion at the surprisingly positive outcome of the battle. In the end, though, without giving Henry any meaningful time alone with the audience, the play suggests that it is virtually impossible for the ruled to ascertain the “true” self of their leader.

With a minimal set against the backdrop of the Carroll Park park house, the cast makes excellent use of the whole of the space, utilizing the center and side aisles and indeed the park house itself. The cast’s presence throughout the space engenders the audience engagement that this company excels at, particularly with the younger members of the audience. Sundiata Fotso-Chinjé’s music composition and direction, as well as performance on guitar (alongside drums and cello), and the fight choreography of Jose Maria Aguila round out a (free!) production that yet again proves to be one of the best ways to spend a summer evening in New York City.

-Stephanie Pietros