Interview: Conversation with the King - Keshav Moodliar talks 'HENRY 6' at The Old Globe
“Henry 6,” parts one and two, made their world premiere earlier this summer and continue to run through September 15th at The Old Globe. Keshav Moodliar wears the crown as the titular Henry, and when he’s not busy ruling on stage, he takes some time to chat about the experience of bringing this story to life in San Diego’s version of Shakespeare in the Park at the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.
The cast of Henry 6, 2024. Photo by Rich Soublet II.
“Henry 6” helps The Old Globe celebrate the rare accomplishment of being one of a few theatres in the country to complete Shakespeare’s entire canon. This two-part show event was adapted and directed by the Globe’s Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and looks at the turmoil of the civil war fight for power that occurred during Henry’s reign.
Born to the crown and named King at nine months old, Henry was king of England and France for as long as he could remember. Between the two plays, Keshav Moodliar follows the character throughout his entire life as the central character.
“Over the course of 50 years, you get to see these people moving through this cyclical journey. We see a power shift in how a country views leadership and what it expects from it. It starts and ends very differently. It has been really fun, especially doing it now with audiences and seeing how much they track from the first to the second play.
Between these two plays, this wheel keeps spinning. We get to see different people aspiring for power, their hunger for power, their worldview of what they think the country should and shouldn't look like, and the sort of notion and belief system that entitles them to the throne.
Henry is watching this from afar, this wheel is just turning but never a part of that. He’s seeing the country change, the people of the country change, and the expectations of leadership change. Along with that change comes a lot of heartbreak, pain, and loyalty being shattered, and there's a lot of joy and love.”
(from left) Keshav Moodliar as King Henry VI and Ian Lassiter as Gloucester in Henry 6. Photo by Rich Soublet II.
Moodliar has been involved in this show's evolution from the start, performing in multiple workshops as the plays were refined from the original three from Shakespeare into these two plays that premiered.
“I got to do both workshops of the show, and it kept changing. Before those workshops, I knew Henry 4th and 5th, but I had never read or seen Henry 6th. Then I read Barry’s cut, and I was utterly transfixed and I was very impressed.
The tricky part here is that there is so much he's woven together. Interestingly, the membranes have changed to make this a story that holds in and of itself. Barry has tried to contain this in the world of Henry and his family; centered around Margaret and Henry trying to hold onto power. He's done that in a very clinical, beautiful, precise way. It took him a whole pandemic to make it!”
Keshav’s Henry is more bookish and gentle, matched by his more assertive and action-oriented queen, Margaret, played by Elizabeth A. Davis. Their relationship is pivotal to the play's events, and Keshav says working with Davis on this has been a wonderful experience on and off stage.
“Elizabeth, who plays Margaret, is one of the smartest, kindest, and generous actors I've ever worked with.
We've had a lot of conversations because on the page Henry and Margaret, other than their marriage scene when they’re put together to try to bring these two countries together—France and England—we never get to see them together. We see one moment of joy with them, and then fast-forward, and they are in this heavy, kind of toxic relationship.
What makes Margaret so special and how Elizabeth has played her is our journey to find love between these people because that sustains this play. If you don't believe that what they do is not born out of love for each other and this country, the play doesn't work.”
These works were also written when Shakespeare was younger. He tried many things within the plays and found his voice. Keshav says this is not only exciting but also why Shakespeare is still so relevant all these years later.
“Barry talks about this a lot because this is Shakespeare writing at a young age. He's finding his voice as a playwright. He's trying to do the most, the wildest things. It feels like you're on this kaleidoscopic journey because it changes so fast, the characters move quickly, and the world shifts.
From 1500 to 2024, wants, needs, and desires will remain, right? We have more buildings and technology but the human desire and hunger for power and survival and the need to be seen and loved remains constant. I think that's what Shakespeare captures and why he's produced so much.”
Keshav Moodliar as King Henry VI in Henry 6. Photo by Rich Soublet II.
Moodliar finds it very special to be a part of this show and the sprawling cast, crew, and community that have worked so long to bring this event to the stage.
“From the designers to the stage managers to the people who do laundry, just the sheer workforce it takes to put this together is humbling. It's very humbling when you see how many people believe in this, and you will not see those people on stage, but they have worked for years to do this.
That is what the theater gives you. You don’t necessarily see them all the time, but hundreds of people have spent hours of sweat, labor, and love on this; that's its special foundation.”
How To Get Tickets
“Henry 6 Part One: Flowers and France” and “Two: Riot and Reckoning” are playing in repertory at The Old Globe through September 15th. For ticket and showtime information, go to www.theoldglobr.org