King Henry is outnumbered

Only in theater could a warehouse stock boy become king of England.

David Denman played the blue-collar Roy in NBC’s “The Office” -- he was the hangdog ex-beau of the Jenna Fischer character -- but this month, he’s taking on an infinitely more majestic role as the title character of “Henry V” at Shakespeare Orange County. Beefy but baby-faced, Denman makes for a physically intriguing monarch -- a boy-king who struts with an authority that belies his youth. The actor synthesizes these opposing qualities into a coherent portrayal of royalty gone power-mad. Still, he’s not nearly commanding enough to prevent the supporting cast from usurping the throne.

This traditional production faithfully follows Shakespeare’s text, beginning with a one-man chorus (John Frederick Jones) who establishes the play’s crucial scenes. Goaded by his cabinet, King Henry V decides to invade France and lay claim to the crown. The play follows his journey to Agincourt, where English troops find themselves severely outnumbered.

The ensemble cast members steal the show by indulging in crazy antics and cuckoo line readings. Michael Nehring proves to be the biggest ham as Fluellen, a Welsh captain who keeps his soldiers in strict obedience. Deploying a wildly gyrating accent, he mines each syllable for all its worth, particularly in the famous “leek scene” in which he taunts a fellow soldier with a stalk of the aforementioned vegetable.

Almost as memorable is John DiAntonio, who plays the French dauphin as an ultra-fey wimp with a mean streak. Perhaps channeling Alan Cumming, he prances satyr-like around the stage and takes to the battlefield like a supermodel on the catwalk.

Directed by Carl Reggiardo, the production is briskly paced -- the scenes fly by and the battle sequences are staged with impressionistic economy. The cast and crew keep stylistic embellishments to a minimum, championing clarity before everything else.

Of all of Shakespeare’s histories, “Henry V” arguably contains the strongest parallels to the current Bush administration -- a reformed party boy who assumed the reins of power from his father decides to invade a foreign country and later claims that “God fought for us.” The Shakespeare Orange County production doesn’t make allusions to Bush or any other contemporary politicians, which is perhaps for the best. Too often, Shakespeare becomes a vehicle for an over-zealous director’s political agenda, and the results are often disappointing on both artistic and philosophical levels.

And yet, you almost wish Denman would invest Henry V with a greater sense of modern complexity -- or at least plunge deeper into his character’s hypocrisies. The dark ambitions of leaders is a subject that anyone from an office drone to a monarch could easily understand.

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davidng@latimes.com

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‘Henry V’

Where: Festival Amphitheatre, 12740 Main St., Garden Grove

When: 8:15 p.m., Thursday through Saturday

Ends: Ends July 26

Price: $30 to $32

Contact: (714) 744-7016, www.shakespeareoc.org

Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes