The Alpha Psi Omega production of The Lion In Winter takes the audience back to Christmas, 1183, and the intrigues of the British royal family. Back then, Henry II was 50 years old, and his sons—Richard, John, and Geoffrey—were squabbling over succession.
Henry let his wife out of prison for the holiday season, and she was pushing Richard. Henry preferred John. And Geoffrey wasn’t entirely happy to be considered only as a future chancellor for his brothers and left entirely out of the running for the crown.
Add into this mix King Philip of France, whose father was great friends with Henry, and Alais, Henry’s mistress who was raised by the Queen and who seems to be the only one in the palace who isn’t scheming. All this makes for an interesting story.
Though I’m no expert in English royalty or its history, the play seems to have some historical basis. Obviously the dialogue must be completely fictional, but the plot seems reasonable enough. This matters little, however; it’s an enjoyable show regardless of its roots in reality.
The script by James Goldman is well-written. Lion is filled with clever dialogue and has few dips into sappiness. And though the show is mostly a drama, there are many laughs in the show, as funny lines are delivered with impeccable timing and tone.
The acting throughout the show was very good. A few actors, particularly Geoffrey Pendry, who played Geoffrey, seemed a bit nervous in the first scene or two, but this disappeared early and was most likely a case of opening night jitters. Packy Anderson was hilarious as John, the butt of most of the jokes and an all-around bumbler. Alais, played by Kimberly Waldin, was very strong. The star of the show, though, was most appropriately the star of the show, Barry Corlew as Henry. The rest of the cast played well.
Two things detracted from the show, though. The first was minor. The first act was a whopping 90 minutes, and the second act was 45 minutes. This was not so bad, though, as the time was well spent.
My second gripe is with the scene changes. At the end of each scene, the lights went out. After that, instead of closing the curtains as is customary, the curtains were kept open, the stage lights were turned up to a low dimness, and the stagehands changed the set. This was very distracting, and somewhat dampened my enjoyment of the show.
Except for the scene changes, The Lion in Winter was enjoyable and well worth watching. The acting was good, the script was good, and the production bespoke good direction.
Editor’s Note: Alpha Psi Omega will perform The Lion in Winter on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the RPI Playhouse at 8 pm.
