Posts Tagged ‘the lion in winter’

Superbly Cast “Lion” Roars to Vibrant Life at Midnight Company

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on October 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The Lion in Winter
by James Goldman
Directed by Tom Kopp
The Midnight Company
October 7, 2023

Lavonne Byers, Shannon Campbell, Michael Pierce, Joe Hanrahan, John Wolbers, Ryan Lawson-Maeske, Joel Moses
Photo by Joey Rumpell
The Midnight Company

The Lion in Winter is a show that’s often associated with its two leading roles–and they are great ones. Still, as The Midnight Company is showing in its current production at the .ZACK Theatre, as directed by Tom Kopp, this is an ensemble piece with great roles for all of its players. With its mixture of drama, suspense, intrigue, and humor, this show provides an ideal showcase for a strong collection of first-rate local performers, who are all at the top of their game. 

This play is also one that’s often more associated with the screen than the stage, considering the high-profile, award-winning 1968 film and 2003 television adaptation. It’s a fascinating play, however, and one that has strong roles for its ensemble. It’s essentially a fictionalization of history–an imagination of real historical characters in situations that make for an intriguing study of character, as well as an exploration of the scheming machinations that can come with royalty and royal ambition. The story centers on English King Henry II and his estranged, imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine–who has been temporarily let out of prison for Christmas–along with their sons Richard, Geoffrey, and John. The well-crafted script by James Goldman explores the various ways Henry and Eleanor use to manipulate one another to get what they want, as well as the schemes, ambitions, and disappointments of the sons. There’s also the new, young King of France, Philip, who also figures into the various schemes to attain and maintain power, land, and influence; as well as Philip’s sister Alais, who was brought up by Eleanor and now, as a young woman, is Henry’s mistress as well as a promised fiancée for whichever son becomes King, as Henry favors the young, immature John and Eleanor favors the soldierly Richard, with the shrewd Geoffrey often treated as an afterthought. Through the course of the story, schemes are made, secrets are revealed, and much emotional manipulation ensues, as the characters jockey for position and struggle to secure their ambitions, future security, and in the case of Henry and Eleanor, their legacies.

While the story is fascinating and the dialogue is incisive, the biggest attraction of this show is the sheer strength of its characters. For The Midnight Company, the casting is ideal, with excellent ensemble chemistry, exquisite performances, and no weak links. Byers and Hanrahan are superb in the leads, with Byers especially shining as the determined, often disappointed Eleanor. The scenes these two share crackle with energy and a mix of conflicting emotions, serving as the centerpiece of the plot. The sons are also ideally cast, with Joel Moses as the warlike Richard showing an inner vulnerability, John Wolbers as the scheming Geoffrey displaying a scheming intelligence, and Ryan Lawson-Maeske excellent as the petulant, entitled John. Shannon Campbell as Alais develops the character with believable strength as the story unfolds, and Michael Pierce plays Philip with credible regal bearing and assertiveness. 

Technically, the production impresses with a suitably Medieval look and atmosphere, aided by Brad Slavik’s well-appointed unit set and Liz Henning’s impeccably detailed costumes. There’s also good use of period-styled Christmas music in the scene transitions and original music by Susan Kopp, and appropriate atmospheric lighting by Tony Anselmo. The production utilizes the sometimes difficult space at the .ZACK Theatre especially well.

The Lion in Winter has proved to be an excellent choice for The Midnight Company. With its well-chosen cast and effective staging, this is a show that plays all the intrigue with just the right pitch, not overdoing it but not underplaying it either. It’s a marvelous showcase for a great cast. 

Joe Hanrahan, Lavonne Byers
Photo by Joey Rumpell
The Midnight Company

The Midnight Company is presenting The Lion in Winter at the .ZACK Theatre until October 21, 2023

The review was orginally published at kdhx.org

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Witty, Emotionally Charged “Lion in Winter” Takes the Rep by Storm

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on January 15, 2016| Leave a Comment »

The Lion In Winter
by James Goldman
Directed by Edward Stern
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
January 8, 2016

Ryan Ward, Carol Schultz, Wilson Bridges, Kurt Hellerich, Jeffrey King Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr. Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

Ryan Ward, Carol Schultz, Wilson Bridges, Kurt Hellerich, Jeffrey King
Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr.
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

Who wants to be the King of England? The race for succession is something of a free-for-all in James Goldman’s The Lion In Winter, the first play of 2016 for the Rep. It’s an intrigue-filled, witty and dynamic historical dramatization that positively crackles with energy on stage.

The Lion In Winter is perhaps best remembered for the marvelous 1968 film starring Peter O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn, and a young Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton. I had seen the movie years ago and remembered the strength of the performances, but it was so long ago that I had forgotten a lot of the details. This play, based somewhat loosely on the history of England’s King Henry II (Jeffrey King), is full of sharp dialogue, drama, and lots and lots of humor. That last part is what surprised me the most, actually.  It’s a very sharply written script with extremely well-developed characters including Henry’s estranged wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (Carol Schultz), and the latest object of his affections, Alais (Angela Janas), who grew up in Henry’s court and was betrothed to his son Richard (Grayson DeJesus) at an early age, although she is now Henry’s mistress and is being used as something of a bargaining tool in the constant machinations concerning who is actually going to inherit the throne.  There’s Richard, the eldest surviving son and the obvious candidate, as he’s a skilled soldier and charismatic leader. He’s also Eleanor’s choice to be the next king. Henry’s choice, for whatever reason, is his petulant and immature youngest son, John (Kurt Hellerich), who Henry also wants to marry Alais in Richard’s place, despite the objections of her brother Philip (Ryan Ward), the King of France, who is currently in attendance at Henry’s palace for his Christmas court. In between these two candidates stands the crafty, well-educated and duplicitous middle son, Geoffrey (Wilson Bridges), who doesn’t initially seem to want to be King very much, but as the plot develops, so do his and everyone else’s ambitions. The center of the play is the combative, contentious, and oddly still affectionate relationship between Henry and Eleanor, who despite having been imprisoned by him for years, still loves him in her way.

It’s the relationships, the incisive dialogue laced with cutting humor, and the strongly developed characterizations that make this play so intensely fascinating, and it’s a brilliant showcase for the Rep’s excellent cast. It’s easy to see in King’s boisterous, confrontational, and charming performance how his three very different sons all take after him in their own ways. Richard’s bravado, Geoffrey’s scheming wit, and John’s almost childlike sense of entitlement are all reflected in King’s vibrant portrayal. Schultz, as the proud Eleanor, matches King scene for scene, and it’s their chemistry that drives the show. Schultz also does an excellent job of portraying Eleanor’s underlying sense of loneliness and rejection without losing that stubborn determination that keeps her going. As the sons, DeJesus is memorable as the soldierly but conflicted Richard, Bridges is deliciously snide as Geoffrey, and Hellerich is convincing as the snippy, bratty youngest son John. There’s also good work from Ward as the still fairly young King of France, Philip, who harbors a secret past with Richard and strives to be taken seriously as a monarch by Henry. Janas, as Alais, is also fine as a young woman who genuinely loves Henry, but is growing increasingly weary of being used as a pawn in his schemes.

Visually, the production has an authentic look with something of a modern twist. Mathew J. Lebebvre’s costumes are appropriately detailed, with rich, regal colors and textures, while Joseph P. Tilford’s set is more suggestive than deliberately realistic. Flanked by giant statues enclosed in glass-covered pillars, the stage has somewhat of the feel of a medieval exhibit at a museum. The furniture and set pieces give the production the right historical atmosphere with a degree of artifice that works well for the tone of the play. There’s also excellent atmospheric lighting by Thomas C. Hase and sound by Rusty Wandall, with an excellent use of scene-setting music.

This is a much funnier play than I had been expecting. Perhaps I need to see the movie again, but I didn’t remember that tone from the film. As directed at the Rep by Edward Stern, the top-notch cast makes the most of every line of dialogue and every tense moment. Although it might not be entirely historically accurate, it’s a bold, fascinating dramatization that’s riveting from start to finish. It’s an intelligent, highly energetic, first-rate production.

lioninwinter2

Grayson DeJesus, Carol Schultz Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr. Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

The Lion in Winter runs at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis until January 31, 2016.

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