Coonrod began the evening by describing the performance as a combination of "powerful scholarship and serious theater."

While Bloom's extensive scholarship on Shakepeare's plays, including his recent best-selling book Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human, attests to the fact that he is one of the foremost Shakespeare scholars in the country, he was not above having some fun with the text--often at his own expense.

Sporting red suspenders, rolled-up sleeves and a distinctive gleam in his eye, Bloom occupied center stage sitting in a gold easy chair.

When in the first part of "Henry IV" the prince asks Falstaff what manner of man he is, Bloom, as Falstaff, replied "A goodly portly man, i'faith, and a corpulent; of a cheerful look, a pleasing eye, and a most noble carriage; and, as I think, his age some 50."

Bloom, quite literally the image of Falstaff, caused an eruption of laughter from the audience.

Bloom's performance continued with sparks of animation, though he was acting only from his neck up. Although his bushy eyebrows and flashing eyes were unusually expressive, Bloom took the idea of a reading seriously, and remained seated in his easy chair for the majority of the performance.

The other actors, however, took more liberties, occasionally getting up to stab another character or fall over in their seats to imitate death.