Henry, King of England, has invited his estranged wife Queen Eleanor to join him for Christmas at his castle in Chinon, France. Their three sons, John, Geoffrey and Richard, are home for the holidays. Princess Alais and her young brother Philip, King of France will be joining in the celebrations. The year is 1183. Sounds delightful. However, one only has to listen to the news or watch TV to see that royal families often have their own little problems. As audiences will soon discover, the delightfully witty and wicked comedy The Lion in Winter is a fast-paced play in which, according to Emmet F. Cameron (who plays Geoffrey), “a medieval royal family eats each other alive at Christmastime”.
Who better to describe the characters in this darkly comedic historical family drama than the actors themselves? I asked them to choose a line from the play that best describes their character. Grace Main as Eleanor chose “Is my hair in place? I’ve given up the looking glass. Quicksilver has no sense of taste.” Christian Glas as Philip quotes “I’m a king: I am no man’s boy.” Eric Staines as John likes “You know what I am? I’m the family nothing. Geoffrey’s shrewd and Richard’s brave and I’m not anything.” Michael Couchman says of Richard: “I’m a constant soldier and a sometime poet, and I will be king.” Henry is John Kenny’s character, and John chose: “Some of them are more canny folk than I, or more cruel or more ruthless or dishonest. But not all rolled into one. The priests write all the history these days and they’ll do me justice. Henry, they’ll say, was a master bastard.” Emmet F. Cameron, who plays Geoffrey, chose: “There’s a masterpiece. He isn’t flesh: he’s a device. He’s wheels and gears.” And Paige Hurley as Alais picked: “Kings, queens, knights everywhere you look and I am the only pawn. I haven’t got a thing to lose; that makes me — dangerous.”
Many well-known actors have taken on the roles of Eleanor and Henry since the play was written by James Goldman in 1964. Katherine Hepburn won an Academy Award in 1968 playing opposite Peter O’Toole. Stockard Channing starred opposite Laurence Fishburne on Broadway in 1999 and received a Tony nomination, and Glenn Close battled Sir Patrick Stewart in 2003 on TV. Studio Theatre Perth had Janet Rice and David Bird on stage for a stellar production in 2014, where I got to see it from a tech booth chair. I have been to these latest rehearsals, directed by Chrystine Williams, and I can vouch for the amazing performances you will see with Grace Main and John Kenny’s interpretations of this medieval couple who love to hate each other.
Look for a lush set, stunning costuming, and a plot with so many twists and turns you will be discussing it for hours afterwards. Think of all the possibilities of any extended family getting together over the holidays — rivalries, hostilities, emotional manipulation, bargaining, maneuvering, petty bickering, and love.
The Lion in Winter opens on November 27 with special $19 opening night tickets. For the remaining performances tickets are $24 ($12 for patrons under 30). Evening performances start at 7:30 on November 27 and 28 and December 4 and 5, matinées are at 2pm on November 29 and 30 and December 6 and 7. Tickets are available from TicketsPlease (TicketsPlease.ca, 485–6434) or via email at boxoffice@studiotheatreperth.com. Tickets are also available at the door, subject to availability.