| The Lion In Winter |
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by James Goldman 30 June - 9 July 2011
The setting is the castle at Chinon in the Loire valley, a stronghold of Henry II, king of England and ruler of a large part of France. It is Christmas 1183 and Henry prepares to greet his wife, his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Once, they outraged the courts of Europe by eloping to marry and create an enormous empire embracing England and almost half of France. Now, Eleanor comes to Chinon only because Henry releases her from prison where he has kept her for the last ten years. He brings his latest love, the French princess Alais to meet Eleanor and their three sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John, two of whom later became kings themselves. This reunion brings together a fiery family, dominated by Henry and Eleanor who cannot forgive each other for destroying their one-time love and who now engage in an angry, spitting, furious battle of wills. The play is based on fact and paints an enthralling picture of two mighty personalities whose Christmas ends with both parties having fought to a standstill but remain joined together. They retire to lick with wounds until next they meet, when Henry will let Eleanor out of prison for Easter. As a play, this is simply stunning. We shall be taking it to Cornwall in the summer as our contribution of the Minack Festival.
Cast
Croydon Advertiser Review8 July 2011 Theo Spring
As any family might do, the parents of three sons differ about their future – the difference here is that the parents are Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine and their heirs to the throne, Richard, Geoffrey and John. Kay Price created an Eleanor who was wife, mother and Queen using her commendable acting talent to realistically portray all three. Often bellowing, sometimes wheedling, Chester Stern’s Henry brought to life the tug of love and challenging kingship. The very different characters of his sons were strongly marked by James Highsted as the ambitious Richard, Robin Clark as the devious, plotting Geoffrey and Stephen Bailey as the immature but favoured John. Danniel Horton held sought-after prizes as King Philip of France whose sister, Alais was Henry’s young mistress. She was not as pliable as Henry would have liked, with Eleanor Swift bringing a concealed meekness to the role. Director Paul Longhurst’s thought-provoking production gave protagonists Henry and Eleanor plenty of scope to shine and in spite of its non-historical moments, of which the script carries many, the show was high entertainment.
Western Morning News ReviewFrank Ruhrmund
'Tis Christmas in Chinon and Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine are at war with each other and with their three children.
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