Review: THE LION IN WINTER Is Exceptional Theatre

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Thursday 20th August 2015

The Therry Dramatic Society's latest production is The Lion in Winter, written in 1966 by James Goldman, and adapted by the writer two years later for the Academy Award-winning film of the same name. It is set in 1183 at a Christmas Court held by King Henry II, attended by his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their three surviving sons, Richard, John and Geoffrey. Eleanor has been imprisoned for a decade since inciting their sons to rebel against Henry in 1173, but she is allowed to attend certain court functions.

Also present is Alais Capet, supposedly engaged to Richard from the age of eight, but now 23 and Henry's mistress. She is the half sister of the King of France, Philip II Augustus, who also attends, challenging Henry over the failure of his obligation to have Alais marry Richard, as arranged when the dowry was given. Running throughout the play is Henry's obsession with who is to succeed him. His choice is John, but Eleanor favours Richard, and Geoffrey, who is ignored by both parents, plots against everybody on his own accord.

Eleanor is also eager to see Alais married to Richard, to break up the relationship between Alais and Henry, while Henry would like to divorce Eleanor and marry his mistress. The location is King Henry II's château and primary residence in Chinon, Anjou, within the Angevin Empire of medieval France but, in fact, there was actually no Christmas Court at that castle in 1183. Philip, incidentally, was the son of Eleanor's first husband, King Louis VII, by his third wife, Adelaide.

By the end of the play, and after all of the machinations and the devious conspirators making and breaking alliances, nothing has changed and nothing has been decided. After Henry's death it was Richard who became king, best known as Richard the Lionheart, and he was succeeded by John. Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, died before Henry.

As with Shakespeare's History Plays, there is a factual history underpinning this play, but the dialogue is all fictional. If I can coin a phrase, it is 'off-Shakespeare'. What better choice of a director, then, than Megan Dansie, who has made a name for herself directing Shakespeare's plays, winning Adelaide Critics Circle Awards for her work. She treats this as she would a work by the Bard, with close attention to the dialogue and its delivery by the cast. There is a focus on diction and enunciation, as well as on ensuring that the actors fully understand the significance of every interaction and every line spoken.

I will say, straight away, that this is one of the best works that I have seen presented by this company. Dansie is known for her skill in casting a production, and this is no exception. Matthew Randell is a commanding figure in the role of Henry, aging (he was 50 and Eleanor was 61 at this time) but still vibrant and powerful, a formidable foe. Celine O'Leary is a complete balance as Eleanor, making them the unstoppable force and the immovable object but, somehow, always just avoiding the ultimate collision. O'Leary's Eleanor is calm, collected, and she goes about her planning and plotting with cold logic, while Randell is fiery, emotional and his plans are made on the fly, reacting to the moment. They are chalk and cheese but, of course, opposites attract, and we soon see that their's is a love-hate relationship, which these two superb actors explore with a great deal of subtlety.

The three sons are a very mixed group. John, the youngest at 16, is not the brightest person around and Nick Duddy presents him as a petulant, immature and confused young man, with all of the intrigues going way over his head causing out bursts of anger. Richard, on the other hand, is the eldest at 26, far more mature, and a warrior. Jonathon Pheasant exudes confidence and strength and looks every bit the future king and crusader. At 25 Geoffrey is the middle son now that the original eldest, Henry, has gone. Aaron MacDonald shows us that Geoffrey has found that the eldest is favoured, and the youngest is valued, but the one in the middle gets the least attention. Geoffrey, though, is also the smartest of the sons, and MacDonald's interpretation gives us a very crafty young man with, the skills to manipulate the others.

Ellie McPhee plays Henry's beautiful and loving mistress, Alais. Now 23, she has been his lover for the last six years, but there is more to her than he realises. McPhee, in a well measured performance, allows her Alais to gradually increase in stature and show that she has learned a lot from those around her about intrigue. Robert Bell is Philip, only 18 but having already been a king for three years. Bell nicely conveys that youthfulness, coupled with a sense of the pressure to be a leader. Although Henry bests him at first, Bell strengthens Philip as the play progresses and Philip becomes more astute at the negotiations.

A big plus for this production is the very authentic costuming, designed by Dansie, who is an expert on mediaeval and renaissance clothing and everything else to do with those periods. One would normally only expect costuming like this from a well-funded professional company. The set and very detailed scenic art, by Nick Spottiswoode, lit by Richard Parkhill, period music during the set changes, and snappy work from the stage crew completed a thorough piece of work, be sure to see this production.

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