Fenix Theatre brings ‘Henry IV, Part One’ to Portland’s Deering Oaks Park

 Keating Babcock at Prince Hal in Fenix Theatre's production of Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part One" in Deering Oaks Park. (Photo by Kat Moraros Photography) What’s the problem with waiting another six years when you are planning to present a 400-year-old play by Shakespeare? For Artistic Director Peter Brown of the Fenix Theatre Company, who is also directing this year’s production, it was a long wait. In 2020, Brown and company were preparing the play “Henry IV, Part One” for their annual production to be presented in Deering Oaks Park when the pandemic struck. In an email, Brown hints at the level of his disappointment then when he called the play “one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays and an absolute favorite of mine.” Now, for the company’s 18th season, the play, with its ageless themes of family, identity and leadership, will at last be onstage at the park bandstand for a dozen 6:30 p.m. performances stretching from July 9 to Aug. 1 (with added rain dates July 19 and Aug. 2 if necessary). Admission will be free, but donations are encouraged. Aside from waiting out such things as a pandemic to pass, Brown notes that “the biggest barrier to producing this play is casting the role of Falstaff … a larger-than-life presence and perhaps Shakespeare’s greatest comic invention.” Local favorite David Butler had been slated to take the role in the ill-fated 2020 production. Sadly, the much-loved Butler passed away the following summer. Brown is grateful that Michael Howard, a Maine-connected actor now living in Texas, agreed to return to Portland “for three months to rehearse and perform the role.”   [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/002-HenryPromo-6131_Online.jpg) Michael Howard as Falstaff in “Henry IV, Part One.” (Photo by Kat Moraros Photography) Local actors, including Maureen Butler, widow of David Butler, and Kevin O’Leary, will fill most of the other roles. Brown has opted for “leaning into” comedy over the history within the play. He hopes to draw the audience into the story of Prince Henry (Hal) as he ascends to the English throne held by his initially disapproving father. But does Hal spend too much time in the company of the disreputable, if disarmingly charismatic, Sir John Falstaff at a tavern run by Mistress Quickly? The director sees these tavern scenes as “endlessly entertaining” but notes that later battle and sword fight sequences will likely also be highlights.  Advertisement Purists may quibble that Brown has cut the script down to run about 90 minutes without an intermission. It was done to ensure each performance would end before sunset, he explains. Others may appreciate the site-specific abridgement, as well as the inclusion of contemporary music under the direction of Sam Finn Cutler. Past productions suggest that the 2026 show will make for another opportunity to sit on a lawn chair or a blanket and enjoy some fast-paced fun with just enough literary heft remaining. Brown hopes that the “accessibility and openness” that Fenix Theatre always seeks to provide will again generate “communal energy” for all who attend their latest production in the park. _Steve Feeney is a freelance writer who lives in Portland._ * * * [IF YOU GO](https://www.fenixtheatre.com/henryiv) Shakespeare’s [“Henry IV, Part One,”](https://www.fenixtheatre.com/henryiv) Deering Oaks Park bandstand, Thursdays-Sundays from July 9-Aug. 1, with performances starting at 6:30 p.m. Fenix Young Company performance will be 6:20 p.m. before the July 9 performance; the July 16 performance includes audio description; and the July 23 performance includes ASL interpretation. Admission is free, donations accepted. For more, go to [fenixtheatre.com](https://www.fenixtheatre.com/henryiv) [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/094-HenryPromo-8288_Online.jpg) Keating Babcock, left, as Prince Hal, with Sam Finn Cutler as Hotspur in “Henry IV, Part One.” (Photo by Kat Moraros Photography) Copy the Story Link Tagged: [theater](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/theater/)