This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Mike Bartlett must have had a crystal ball in 2014 when he penned "King Charles III," making its regional premiere at Pioneer Theatre Company in a production with the look and feel of royalty. Shortly after this play that pivots on dissension between king and Parliament appeared, England was fractured by controversy about whether to withdraw from the European Union. In the play, opposition leader Mark Stevens says prophetically, "It is uncharted waters we are thrust toward," and Prime Minister Tristram Evans observes, "It is a time of change."

Closer to home, the source of the play's conflict is a bill to restrict the freedom of the press, which sounds uncomfortably Trumpian. Who says life doesn't imitate art?

Apart from the political relevance, "King Charles III" is an unusual pastiche that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Its futuristic, what-if plot chronicles what might happen if Queen Elizabeth II died and Prince Charles became king. Bartlett sees Charles in the tradition of Shakespearean tragic kings, but the characters are the current British royal family. Like Richard II, Charles thinks he is divinely ordained to be king: "There is no common ground, no compromise," he says. "Anointed not by man, but God, I don't negotiate but issue my commands." He even describes himself as an "old forgotten gardener" when he is forced to abdicate.

But Bartlett also wants the play to be a satire on the powerless position royalty holds in England today. Parliament makes the laws, and the prime minister enacts them; the king merely signs them as a ceremonial gesture. When Charles refuses to play this role, his principled persistence creates a crisis.

The villain of the melodrama that ensues is daughter-in-law Kate, who is twice as ambitious and malevolent as Lady Macbeth. She pushes her husband, William, to supplant his father by telling him, "I lift you to where you were born to be." She and William are pasteboard characters that function on a completely different level from Charles.

Another Shakespearean reference is William's brother, Henry, who, like Prince Hal in "Henry IV," longs to escape from the confinement of court. There's even a duplicitous ghost: Diana, who tells both Charles and William, "You will be the greatest king we ever had."

To deepen the Shakespearean parallels, Bartlett has written the play in blank verse, but this also proves a mixed blessing. He peppers it with colloquial language, and the clash is jarring.

What drives this production is John Hutton's multidimensional portrayal of Charles. He transitions movingly from confident in his convictions to bewildered when they have no effect to shattered, but still dignified, when his son betrays him. Samantha Eggers is forceful and diabolically clever as Kate, and Grant Goodman's William is the ultimate opportunist, seizing power with cold determination, although his shift from supportive to combative toward his father seems abrupt. John Ford-Dunker and Jess Nahikian react with touching confusion as Prince Harry and his outspoken girlfriend when political pressure shatters their plans for a normal life. Larry Bull's reasonable, frustrated Evans; J. Todd Adams' wily, double-speaking Stevens; and Max Robinson's loyal, slightly stiff and stodgy James are strong performances in the supporting cast, but Monique Fowler is too dithery and hard to understand as Camilla.

Director David Ivers has wisely cast Shakespearean actors who can handle the language and minimizes the play's talkiness by keeping the pace moving. With help from David Neville's selective spotlighting, he positions actors to reveal tensions and reflect shifts in alliances. Gary English's formal set with its stone walls and Capitol-rotunda look exudes stately tradition, as do Alex Jaeger's rich, regal costumes. Joshua Hight's sound design reflects the country's unrest, and Gregg Coffin's dramatic music adds solemnity.

The professionalism of Pioneer's production compensates for the inconsistencies in Bartlett's play, which can't quite decide what it wants to be. But its political timeliness is uncanny, and it's fun to track the Shakespearean references. In the long run, though, Shakespearean wannabes only reaffirm the staying power of the original. —

'King Charles III'

Pioneer Theatre Company's outstanding production values and insightful performances and direction overcome the inconsistencies in "King Charles III."

When • Reviewed on March 24; plays Mondays through Thursdays at 7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. through April 8, with Saturday matinees at 2 p.m.

Where • Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. University St., Salt Lake City

Tickets • $25 to $44 in advance; $5 more on the day of the show; half price for students K–12 on Mondays and Tuesdays; 801-581-6961 or http://www.pioneertheatre.org

Running time • 2 ½ hours (including an intermission)