Saturday was a sunny spring day, but over a thousand of us from 26 states and two Canadian provinces spent it ensconced within the Guthrie Theater.

There, we experienced one of North America’s destination theatrical events of the year: The official opening of the Guthrie’s “History Plays,” Shakespeare’s trilogy of tales about England’s monarchs between 1398 and 1420. Presented over 13 hours (almost 8½ of them in performance), it likely filled every heart with admiration for the 23-member cast. But I’m betting you’ll appreciate the productions more if you stagger them by days or weeks, allowing time for reflection between performances.

When the Guthrie undertook this same project in 1990, among the actors was Joseph Haj, now the company’s artistic director. As director of this incarnation of “The History Plays,” he’s helped craft quite the artistic achievement, whether examined as a whole or divided by three.

Contributing greatly to its success are the designs: Jan Chambers’ imaginative rotating set is full of staircases, balconies and pop-up set pieces, while Trevor Bowen’s costumes and Heather Gilbert’s lighting enhance the stories but never distract from them. And Jack Herrick’s always engaging score combines percussive Celtic-flavored folk with stately synthesizers.

‘Richard II’

Tyler Michaels King, center, as King Richard II, in “Richard II,” running through May 24, 2024 at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. The theater is presenting Shakespeare’s three dramas encompassing the life and times of key players in the tumultuous English monarchy from 1398 to 1420: Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V. (Dan Norman / Guthrie Theater)

The plays follow the passing of the crown from one English king to another, but Shakespeare’s chief interest is always the interpersonal conflicts and motivations of his characters. His still astoundingly poetic writing is all about examining the nature of being human — in rhythmic, rhyming verse.

“Richard II” is alone in not being a war story — it’s a drama about a political coup — and I found it the most satisfying production of the three. When reflecting at day’s end upon the trilogy’s most impressive performances, the first to mind was Tyler Michaels King’s astonishingly vulnerable portrayal of King Richard as he processes his confusion and bitterness at having his crown taken from him.

He’s prepared for his descent from the throne by a transfixing deathbed dressing-down from Charity Jones’ John of Gaunt — Jones is a voice of stern reason throughout the trilogy — while David Andrew Macdonald lends layers to the conflicted and conflict-averse Duke of York, Jasmine Bracey making a memorable comedic turn as his fury-fueled wife.

‘Henry IV’

If Richard is the most fascinating dramatic character in the trilogy, the comedic equivalent for impact is Sir John Falstaff. This totally fictional character proved so popular with Elizabethan audiences that Shakespeare revived him by popular demand in “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” He’s a raconteur, thief and drinking companion of young Prince Hal, heir to the throne.

Oh sure, there’s a drama afoot about a rebellion against the titular monarch, and John Catron admirably inhabits the perpetually pissed-off Hotspur who leads it. But when the drums of war start beating, you may wish that you were back at the bar with Jimmy Kieffer’s hilariously garrulous Falstaff and the prankster tandem of the young prince (Daniel Jose Molina) and Ned Poins (Dustin Bronson).

Yet when we’re off to war, it’s Falstaff who provides a commoner’s point of view, lacing with dark humor his ruminations on the nature of “honor.”

‘Henry V’

Daniel José Molina, as King Henry V, and Dustin Bronson, as Edward, Lord Scroop of Masham, in “Henry V,” running through May 25, 2024 at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. (Dan Norman / Guthrie Theater)

The most well-known of the three plays, thanks in part to film adaptations by Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh, is basically a war story about a British invasion of France, filled with lots of swordplay and hand-to-hand combat. Kudos to fight director U. Jonathan Toppo, who also plays two roles.

It’s long been held up as a lesson in leadership, as Prince Hal has grown into a military leader who cultivates personal bonds with his soldiers and delivers the most famous pep talk in theatrical history (“We happy few! We band of brothers!”). Molina does a fine job with Henry’s transformation, but the character grows increasingly unsympathetic, especially when one considers this an unnecessary war of his own choosing.

Thank goodness for some comic relief from Bronson as the very silly French Dauphin. And Erin Mackey is a standout as the youngest of the pub retinue, Davy, and the French princess who becomes Henry’s love interest.

If your time is too limited to catch all three, I’d recommend prioritizing by chronology. But each production is a triumph in its own right.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

‘Richard II,’ ‘Henry IV’ and ‘Henry V’

When: Through May 25

Where: Guthrie Theater, 818 Second St. S., Mpls.

Tickets: $82-$17; three-play package, $189-$66; available at 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org

Note: The one-day marathon of all three productions will be repeated on May 18.

Capsule: A monumental achievement best experienced in smaller bites.

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The scenario that played out Sunday looks to be a doomsday scenario of sorts for Minnesota. The Timberwolves fell to the No. 3 seed. They will not have home-court advantage if they meet Denver in the second round. And that “if” is suddenly looking like a questionable proposition.

Because Minnesota’s first-round opponent is a team in Phoenix that just swept Minnesota in three regular-season meetings, and none of the contests were particularly competitive. Given the three results this season — the Wolves weren’t within single digits of Phoenix in the second half of any of the three losses — you could make a strong argument that the Suns are the worst matchup for Minnesota.

In that way, Karl-Anthony Towns thinks they’re the best matchup.

“There’s no better team to be playing in the first round than a team that we struggled with all year,” Towns said.

What Towns means by that is Minnesota will be tested at the highest level right out of the postseason gates. The Wolves will get punched in the mouth. How can they respond? How can they evolve and grow?

“If there’s one thing these three games have shown, they’ve won decisively. We have to show our mettle, and we have to show our mental toughness come Game 1. Throw those three games out the window, utilize those games as learning experiences and find ways that we can utilize those games to finally put one on the left column against the Suns this year,” Towns said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to show what we’re made of and to show the NBA and the fans the team we say we can be. It’s going to be a great Game 1 (Saturday at Target Center). I’m excited. I’m happy to have this opportunity to show that championship pedigree that we’re saying that we have and that we’ve garnered through the year.”

Minnesota won a lot of games — 55, to be exact — this season. That’s the second-highest tally in franchise history. The reward is home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. Minnesota sold out all 41 games at Target Center this season. The home crowd has, indeed, been an advantage, though it wasn’t close to enough Sunday.

“Everything is in front of us. We’ve asked for this position to be a home-court team with the advantage that we’ve been dying for,” Towns said. “We’ve got a team that has tested us the most this year. So we have everything set up for a really amazing series, and we have everything set up for us to prove our mettle and to prove if we’re that championship team we’ve been talking about since Day 1.”

Towns said he’s “really excited” that Minnesota has to take the difficult Round 1 matchup.

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“It’s only right. It’s going to make us better. It’s going to test our mental fortitude, and it’s going to test our discipline,” he said. “Those are going to be things that, if we get past Round 1, we’re going to need those types of things if we expect to be a championship team. So there’s no better place to put it to the test at the highest level than in Series 1.”

Scuffle

Phoenix guard Brad Beal and Anthony Edwards were each assessed technical fouls after a minor scuffle at mid-court in the second quarter on Sunday in which Beal and Wolves coach Chris Finch appeared to exchange words.

“He was barking at our bench,” Finch said.

That’s now how Beal took it.

“Coach Finch jumped in and he said some things out of his mouth that I didn’t really respect. Man to man, I rebuttal-ed back,” Beal said. “And Ant stepped in front of his coach, not really knowing what was going on. But respectfully you do that for your coach, so I’m not mad at him. We’re all good. It’s all good. No hard feelings.”

When the Twins traded for minor-league utility man Diego Castillo and sent him to the injury-riddled Saints on April 5, it amounted to adding a warm body.

Sunday afternoon at CHS Field he was the hottest of a suddenly hot-hitting Saints lineup, as the Saints opened up an 8-0 lead and held on for a 13-11 win over the Iowa Cubs.

Castillo, acquired from the Baltimore Orioles organization for cash considerations, led off the bottom of the first inning with his second home run with the Saints before adding three singles.

He said opening the game with a home run definitely got the juices flowing. “It gave me a lot of confidence to keep going,” Castillo said.

The 26-year-old Castillo appeared in 96 games with Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022, hitting .206 with 11 home runs and 29 runs batted in. The Twins are his sixth organization since then, but with the number of the injuries the Twins and Saints have had, it looks as though he has landed in a good spot.

“Opportunities are out there all the time,” Castillo said. “It’s a good opportunity whenever I’m still playing baseball.”

Primarily an infielder, Castillo said he learned to play the outfield while with the Pirates. He played right field on Sunday, after making three starts at second base, three at third base and two at shortstop.

That versatility can only enhance his chances of getting back to the majors, and Castillo is confident he will get another opportunity.

“I feel like playing hard is the key for every player,” Castillo said. “I was there with the Pirates; I spent a good amount of time there. The big leagues are the best. I feel working hard and playing hard are going to take me there again.

“Wherever they send me to play I am going to give my best. If they send me to the big leagues, it will be the same.”

Castillo had a lot of company when it comes to offensive stars on Sunday. The first four batters in the Saints’ lineup — Castillo, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., Yunior Severino and Chris Williams — were a combined 10 for 20, with three home runs, two doubles and nine RBIs.

Severino, who hit 35 home runs last season between Double-A Wichita and the Saints, which tied for the most in minor-league baseball, is hoping his slow start to the season is behind him. He entered the game with a batting average of .095, with one home run and two RBIs.

Severino hit a three-run homer in the third inning and added a two-run double in the fifth.

“I feel good,” Severino said through Castillo, who served as his interpreter. “I never changed my routine. I’ve been working hard, and I know good things are going to come.”

Coming off such a big year, which moved him up among the Twins’ top prospects, the 24-year-old Severino said he has not felt any added pressure this season to duplicate — or exceed — what he did last year.

“There’s no pressure on me,” Severino said. “This is a new year. I’m going to keep giving 100 percent. I’m not thinking about last year.”

Saints starter Caleb Boushley was staked to an 8-0 lead after three innings, but he wasn’t able to stick around to pick up the win. He held the Cubs hitless through the first three innings, but was touched up for six hits and three runs before exiting with two outs in the fifth.

The Cubs scored three runs in the sixth and four in the seventh to change the complexion of a game that appeared on its way to being a rout.

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DETROIT — Caleb Thielbar decided to switch up his routine to start incorporating more running into it after not doing much over the past three years.

Why?

“To prevent lower body injuries,” Thielbar said.

The irony is that Thielbar ended up suffering the type of lower-body injury that he was hoping to prevent, straining his left hamstring while running during spring training.

He didn’t pitch in a spring game and missed the first couple of weeks of the Twins’ season. But on Sunday, he was finally activated from the injured list after a pair of rehab outings in St. Paul.

“It was frustrating. More just frustrating how it happened, me being an idiot,” Thielbar said before Sunday’s game. “I learned my lesson, so thankfully I only missed 10 or 12 games, whatever it ended up bein. So plenty of time to end up having a good, productive season and help these guys out.”

Thielbar has been one of the Twins’ most productive relievers over the past four seasons, though his return Sunday did not go quite to plan.

He allowed a home run, a hit that likely should have been ruled an error, and another single before departing Sunday. Three earned runs were charged to him, and he recorded just one out in the Twins’ 4-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers.

“He’s a good pitcher, so yeah, it’s not what you expect,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “But he’s not going to make any excuses. It’s his first outing back in the big leagues. Been out a while, and sometimes it takes time to be sharp.”

The 37-year-old lefty is now one of three southpaws in the Twins’ bullpen, more than they usually carry. To make room for him on the roster, the Twins optioned Jorge Alcala, rather than rookie lefty Kody Funderburk. Steven Okert, the other lefty in the bullpen, has been seeing some high-leverage opportunities that likely would have been Thielbar’s in his absence.

Thielbar provided a fresh arm for a bullpen that was heavily taxed during Saturday’s doubleheader. Alcala pitched two innings, picking up the win in the first game. He had yet to allow an earned run in 8 1/3 innings at the time he was optioned back to Triple-A.

“I talked to Jorge about a couple of things specifically — working ahead of hitters, coming in with his best stuff — but he did a good job for us,” Baldelli said. “We just know over the course of the season, the bullpen guys will take the brunt of some of this at times when we do need to activate someone or bring a new arm up.”

Wallner off to tough start

Matt Wallner sat most of Sunday — he pinch hit and walked in the ninth inning —  amid a slump that has seen him strike out in 16 of his 32 plate appearances this season.

The Twins’ left  fielder has collected just two hits in 24 at-bats. One, a home run, came on Saturday against Zach McKinstry, a Detroit infielder. But Baldelli has often praised Wallner for his ability to make adjustments. And though he has had a difficult start to the season, he pledged his faith in the outfielder.

“He’s had a tough go of it. I don’t think there’s any way around the fact that he’s either not seeing it well or the swing doesn’t feel right to him,” Baldelli said. “He’s a player that we believe in, though. … This happens to everyone at one point or another in their career and in their path. It’s not an easy thing to go through, but he can handle it. He’ll be OK.”

Briefly

The Twins will send Louie Varland to the mound Monday in Baltimore, where they will see Major League Baseball’s top prospect, Jackson Holliday, who was recently called up by the Orioles. Chris Paddack and Pablo López are also lined up to face Baltimore.