Dynamic dysfunction rules ‘The Lion in Winter’

By Rich Fahey

BOSTON – It is a royal family that put the “d” in dysfunctional. And not mere dysfunction, but dynamic dysfunction.

James Goldman’s 1966 Broadway play “The Lion in Winter” combined history and royal melodrama, often with dark humor,  in a way that captured audiences. It also   spawned the 1968 movie of the same name, which was nominated for six Oscars and won three, for Katherine Hepburn’s performance, John Barry’s score, and Goldman’s screenplay.

Now Theater UnCorked has taken on the considerable challenge of “The Lion in Winter” and the Norton Award-winning troupe has authored a first-class production, grounded in fine performances and direction, onstage in The Plaza Theatre of the Boston Center for the Arts through Dec. 15.

It is Christmas time 1183 in King Henry II’s castle in Chinon, France, and things are ….. how can we stay it … in a state of flux. Henry’s wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (Sehnaz Dirik) has been given a Christmas reprieve from her imprisonment for actions against the crown, but Henry (Anthony Mullin) has other concerns: The internecine warfare among his three sons – Richard Lionheart  (Thain Emrys Burton), John (Finian Ross), and Geoffrey (James Honaker) — to succeed him. Yes, this is the popular TV drama “Succession” set back in the 12^th Century.

Henry wants the youngest son, John, to get the prize but Eleanor favors Richard Lionheart, the warrior and their oldest surviving son, to whom she has given the Aquitaine, the largest region of France. Waiting in the wings is Geoffrey, the middle child, a true wild card who plots and schemes with and against both sides.

But that’s not all. Also on hand in the castle for the holiday is the present King of France, Philip II (Matthew Zahnzinger), who demands that his half-sister, Alais (Micah Livesay), Henry’s mistress, be married to Richard, according to a treaty agreed upon years ago, or Henry will lose her dowry. Alais believes she is a strong candidate to be Queen if Henry has the courage to move strongly against Eleanor. Let the games begin.

The scenes between Eleanor – a former Queen of France who is 11 years Henry’s senior, and who has borne him 11 children during their 31 years of marriage – and  Henry are delicious. But she is often seething as Henry is not shy about throwing his affair in her face, and she is not shy about what she would like to see happen to Henry, possibly even at the hands of her own sons, if it comes to that.

And the three sons know how unloved and unwanted they have felt for their entire lives as their parents were consumed with their own fortunes, leaving them to their own devices. It is only now they have come into the spotlight, as objects and targets in the ongoing battle between their parents.

Still, there is something that still connects Henry and Eleanor, even after endless tumult, and Goldman zeroes in on it at a key point in Act II.

The adroit casting has made life easier for director Allison Olivia Choat, but she is firmly in control in a piece that could easily see the characterizations spin out of control.

They never do, even though Finian Ross’s John – the 16-year-old spoiled brat and weakest of the three sons, and the unlikeliest to be king – reaches the outer edges of the role.

Historical drama relies on the writer’s imagination and courage in filling in the gaps, exploring what one intrepid interstellar traveler called “to boldly go to where no man has gone before.”

And yes, Goldman has inserted humor generously into the piece. In the midst of the scheming and double-crossing, Goldman gives Dirik as Eleanor the pithy and grossly understated line: “What family doesn’t have its ups and downs?”

Director Choat in program notes talked about how the characters acted wildly and recklessly, because no one was assured tomorrow.

“Our production is built on that vitality and urgency – on imagining a world that isn’t static or solemn, but vividly, recklessly alive,” she said. “The castle – and this cast – may be more vocal, more violent, and more passionate than you expected. If so – and if they feel, above all, more alive – then maybe we’ve done it the way we hoped.”

As TheaterUnCorked – founded by Dirik and now in its sixth season — has evolved and grown, it has found its footing in downtown Boston, along the way elevating production values, hiring first-class directors, and taken on titles that are not often performed and not easy to produce.

“The Lion in Winter” is a towering achievement for all concerned, and most worthy of your time and attention.

The Theater UnCorked production of “The Lion in Winter.” Written by James Goldman. Directed by Allison Olivia Choat. At The Plaza Theatres at Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St., Boston.
Tickets: https://www.bostontheatrescene.com/shows-and-events/the-lion-in-winter/