Guilt, anger, revenge. Riotous hilarity, mortal enemies, Falstaff bigger than life, Prince Hal in a hoody. Yes, it’s “Henry IV, Part One” at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s intimate Thomas Theatre, to be followed in the summer by “Part Two.” As directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, Shakespeare’s great history play, peppered with surprises, is staged in the round and set in modern times. We can almost reach out and touch the actors, and the actors certainly touch us with their electrifying emotions. Jeffrey King is a compelling Henry, and we know how uneasy is his head that wears the crown. Henry’s son Hal is played by Daniel Jose Molina as an out-of-control adolescent rather than a fully mature young man, and this helps explain his rebellious character. Never far from his side is the legendary trickster Falstaff, played to overstuffed perfection by G. Valmont Thomas, one of my favorite comic actors. Falstaff and Hal waste an enormous amount of time at Mistress Quickly’s disreputable tavern
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