A Review of "Henry IV, Part 1," at the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey John Ahlin as Falstaff, recounting his version of a daring robbery, in the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey's production of "Henry IV, Part 1." Some 400 years before television audiences were riveted by the medieval struggles in "Game of Thrones," William Shakespeare entertained Elizabethans with his Wars of the Roses cycle. These eight history plays imaginatively dramatize troubled English kings and their heirs during the 15th century, when the Plantagenet dynasty degenerated into the clashing houses of Lancaster and York. Packed with battles, intrigue, compelling characters and memorable wordplay, the dramas were big hits in Shakespeare's time, and retain their potential to resonate today. The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey in Madison presents a handsome staging of the second work in this cycle, "Henry IV, Part 1," as the opening production of its 50th season. In spite of its title, the story centers less upon King Henry IV (Brent Harris), uneasily wearing the crown he recently usurped from a cousin, and more on his slacker of a son, Prince Hal (Derek Wilson). As the king contends with a brewing rebellion, Hal eventually reforms himself from a hard-partying scamp into a steadfast soldier. History is bound up tightly with family ties in this play, which studies father-son relationships. Shakespeare contrasts Hal's awkward interactions with the disapproving Henry against Hal's jollier times carousing with Sir John Falstaff (John Ahlin), a disreputable old knight who has become his surrogate father. Yet another contrasting figure in this parental dynamic is gallant Henry Percy (Jon Barker), who is renowned far and wide as Hotspur, the temperamental scion of the rebellious Percy clan. King Henry frankly admires Hotspur and wishes his son Hal were so noble, but Shakespeare later discloses that Hotspur's kinship with his crafty father, the Earl of Northumberland (Glenn Beatty), and icy uncle, the Earl of Worcester (Conan McCarty), is none too cordial. The revival's director, Joseph Discher, now in his 22nd year with the company, fluently deploys the austere stagecraft of Shakespeare's era in his straightforward account of the play. Jonathan Wentz's wooden set has two levels linked by a central staircase in which different heraldic banners - and a bit of hanging taxidermy for the Boar's Head tavern scenes - are switched to establish the story's locations. Paul H. Canada's costumes modestly suggest early-1400s styles. In his clever use of similar tawny, brocaded fabrics for the clothes usually worn by Henry and Falstaff, the designer visually links Hal's opposite father figures. It is obvious that Henry's ornate crown weighs heavily on his head, and Mr. Harris effectively gives the king the anxious, weary manner of a man distracted by many troubles. For all of Falstaff's wine-soaked girth and chronically bleary air, Mr. Ahlin's character, with his picturesque whiskers, possesses a roistering vitality that makes him raffish good/bad company for Hal. It is a credit both to the director's evenhanded approach to the play and to Mr. Ahlin's discretion as an actor that this lovable Falstaff does not completely steal every scene in which the lusty old reprobate appears. Mr. Wilson's boyish-looking Hal is an unassuming fellow whose affable nature gradually turns steelier as his sense of purpose grows. Late in the play, he shows Hal to be lovingly supportive of his flagging father during the battle scenes at Shrewsbury, which are staged with economy and slow-motion touches by Michael Rossmy, the fight director. Hotspur is usually construed as a romantic warrior, but Mr. Barker puts an interesting, peevish spin on this hero, who evidently suffers from the same disgruntled mood shared by his cranky Percy elders. Glowing in a white gown, Izzie Steele fervently portrays Hotspur's adoring wife, Kate. Maxon Davis cuts a dashing figure as the spirited yet not-so-helpful Scottish rebel, the Earl of Douglas, while Drew Dix blusters amusingly as Glendower, the mystical Welsh chieftain. The most colorful personages among the beery Boar's Head tavern crowd are Patrick Toon's red-nosed Bardolph, Jeffrey M. Bender's snaggletoothed Poins and Jesse Graham's forthright Mistress Quickly. Shakespeare's histories sometimes are judged as dry stuff compared with his comedies and tragedies, but when staged with spirit and intelligence, as this production is, they winningly come to life. "Henry IV, Part 1," by William Shakespeare, is at the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theater at Drew University, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison, through June 24. Information: (973) 408-5600 or shakespearenj.org.