THE BALLAD OF KING HENRY Comes to PCS Theater

PCS Theater will stage the world premiere of The Ballad of King Henry, a folk music adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry IV Part I, from March 28 to April 5, 2025. The show—an earlier version of which was staged as Wars & Whores: The Henry IV Musical in the 2011 Philly Fringe—was conceived by Benjamin Kamine, with music and lyrics by Jeffrey Barg and a book by Sally Ollove. 

This raucous original new musical presents the Bard's classic tale of a prince's coming-of-age as it was intended—with all the foot-stomping, harmonica-blowing, acoustic-throwdown tunes your boxcar-riding bones can handle. The Ballad of King Henry adapts Shakespeare's story of King Henry IV, Prince Hal, Hotspur and Falstaff—arguably the greatest character the Bard ever wrote—to the sounds of American folk music. 

“I hate Shakespeare adaptations that are purposeless,” says director Mike Sokolowski, who previously directed PCS productions of Clue, One Man Two Guvnors and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. “Don't just update the language. Don't just set Romeo and Juliet in gangland Chicago. What I love about this adaptation is how purposeful it is. The heart of one of Shakespeare's most famed histories isn't just transported to a new location, but is taken to a time and place where its heart can still beat perfectly in rhythm.”

Kamine, Barg and Ollove—who first collaborated more than 20 years ago in their college Shakespeare troupe—hatched this Henry IV adaptation as a Fringe show, whose original presentation married Shakespeare's text with Barg's original music and lyrics. Following that 2011 production, Barg added a slew of additional songs, while Ollove replaced Shakespeare's text with a wholly original book that still follows the Bard's story. 

“Folk music has always seemed like the right vehicle for my favorite Shakespeare play,” says Barg. “Long before he goes on to be the towering Henry V, Prince Hal spends his time hanging out in bars with Falstaff—very much a man of the people. So it makes sense for him to be singing the people's music. And Shakespeare himself is no elitist—his plays were truly popular entertainment.”

Ollove is associate artistic director of the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, and Barg also wrote the music and lyrics for The Angry Grammarian, which had a sold-out world premiere run in Philadelphia in 2024. 

The cast includes Scott Berkowitz as Prince Hal, Abrham Bogale as the Douglas, Kayla Bowe as Ensemble, Madison Claus as Mistress Quickly, Robert Correas-Rivera as Blunt, Harley Diamond as King Henry, Aleeza Furman as Ensemble, Taylor Kellar as Poins, Geoffrey Pizzuto as Glendower, Max Segarnick as Falstaff, Amanda Strydio as Lady Percy, Bill Thomer as Worcester and Zachary Zalis as Hotspur. The onstage band includes Jeffrey Barg (bandleader/guitar/ukulele/banjo), Byron Kho (piano/accordion), Tamara Kimler (bass) and Ari Miller (percussion). 

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