Elijah Jones (center) and Jaylon Muchison, Gregory Linington, Adam Poss, Sean Fortunato, Ronald L. Conner, Scott Aiello, and Demetrios Troy Photo by Liz Lauren

This endeavor begins with wrapping the Courtyard Theater in camouflage netting and territorial flags. This cornerstone of the scenic design by Michael Pavelka subconsciously prepares the audience to be immediately engaged by the Chorus, who crouch, squat and lounge among the scatter of military crates arrayed on the thrust. As the lights go down, silence falls on the theater as the soldiers pass the crown from person to person until it finds the one willing to begin the famous prologue.

What starts as reluctance becomes eagerness as the members of the Chorus rifle through the crates and slip into costumes (also designed by Pavelka) and characters to take the audience deeper into the events of the play. Throughout, the music (direction and composition by Jonathan Trenchard), sound (design by Emily Hayman), set and costumes, all of which lean into the contemporary, work masterfully to simultaneously immerse the audience in the story without, for a moment, letting them forget that it is indeed a story, the likes of which King Henry himself predicts in the St. Crispin's Day Speech.

Trenchard blends The Clash and The Pogues with folk music, hymns, and pop music to tether the soul of the production to the people on the ground, soldier and civilian alike. Pavelka keeps the grey camo pants of each of the actors visible, regardless of what else they might be sporting (for example, regalia denoting nobility, liturgical vestments, or a gown worthy of the court) from the waist up to remind us not only how well known each vignette is, but that the teller of it, however engaging, is not exactly a dispassionate conveyer of historical facts.

In a similar vein, Marcus Doshi's lighting design employs, among other techniques, overly simplistic geometric fields of light (all right angles for the English, perfect circles for the French) to subtly challenge and complicate our understanding of any given moment. The free-flowing play with language (Scott Aiello is credited as the voice and dialect coach) similarly calls into question what seems true because it sounds familiar, and that strikes fear into the heart because it sounds foreign.

The outstanding design is anything but wasted on the cast, led by Elijah Jones as Henry. Comparisons rarely do justice to either party, but it's hard not to think of Denzel Washington when in the presence of Jones's power and charisma. From the crushing boredom of the opening courtroom scene to the strange exhilaration of courting Katherine, there is not a single false or even questionable note in the performance.

The connection to the Hal of Henry IV is clear, but it is equally clear that he has, indeed, made use of his wilder days. As he travels among his soldiers the night before the battle that is to become Agincourt, Jones understands the King to be self-doubting, to be sure, but also still quick to come to blows and yet frustrated by the failure of the people on the ground to appreciate the stakes of the situation. It's a wholly original and engrossing take on such a well-known figure.

In this play, Henry is more or less without peer or foil, yet in this production, there is a strange and strangely powerful dynamic between the English King and Montjoy, France's messenger, played here by Jaylon Muchison (who also plays Scrope). The role, taken at face value, is great fun, of course, but here, Muchison (and presumably Hall) take what can be relatively superficial (though undoubtedly entertaining) back and forth between England and France, and tap into the magnificent chemistry that the two actors have. This sometimes takes the form of competing bad-assery, with Montjoy, clad in black leather, descending from the ceiling, mirroring Henry's more physical descent from an elevated platform, and sometimes of quiet mutual respect as the outcome of Agincourt is revealed.

As the Dauphin, Alejandra Escalante similarly sheds light on Henry the character, in addition to bolstering Jones's performance and being bolstered by it. In black leather, rocking out in clamshell headphones, Escalante provides a wonderful encapsulation of the Hal that was such a short time ago, and is engaging in her other roles.

As Katherine and as the Young Lad who finds himself unfortunately attached to Hal's former partners in crime, Courtney Rikki Green turns in a pair of skillful performances that remind the audience of the sweep of this story, as well as its humanity. In collaboration with Kate Fry as Katherine's attendant, Alice (Fry also plays as Westmorland and Monsieur Le Fer), Green infuses her scenes with the kind of deft comic relief that lets the sweetness and seriousness blossom, further growing the story.

The comedy (and ultimately the tragedy) that Scott Aiello (Nym and others), Donald Conner (Bardolph and Orleans), and Demetrios Troy (Pistol and Burgundy) bring to Hal's former gang also serve, beyond the uproarious comic relief that they do so well, to convey the complexities of who Henry once was and to throw into sharp relief who he feels that he needs to be. As Exeter, Donté Bonner, in contrast, plays the steady, irreproachable uncle whose constant presence at Henry's side amplifies the character that the Hal of Henry V has grown into.

In supporting roles, and especially as those who bring Edward Hall's vision of the Chorus to life, Rachel Crowl (Fluellen and Thomas Grey), Sean Fortunato (King of France and others), Gregory Linington (Archbishop of Canterbury and others), and Adam Poss (Cambridge and the Constable of France) are no less vital to the production's success.

Henry V runs through October 6, 2024, at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Courtyard Theater, 800 E Grand Avenue Chicago IL. For tickets and information, please visit www.chicagoshakes.com or call 312-595-5600.