Review: Theater UnCorked's THE LION IN WINTER Roars with Royal Intrigue

Theater UnCorked has opened its sixth season with a sharp, searing production of “The Lion in Winter” that lays out a powerful story of a royal family struggling both with succession planning and with each other. It may be an unconventional offering given this season’s predictable plethora of holiday productions, but the drama – which inspired the Fox-TV series “Empire” – is definitely a gift for discerning theatergoers.

Written for the stage by James Goldman, “The Lion in Winter” is a mostly fictionalized high-drama depiction of the politically expedient marriage of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Set at Christmas in the year 1183, when Henry, having imprisoned Eleanor ten years earlier, has just furloughed her for the holidays, long-festering conflicts pop like mini-explosions through their every fraught encounter. Their eldest son has recently died, and the estranged couple, their three surviving sons, and other guests have gathered at Henry’s castle in Chinon, France, where the king plans to choose his new heir.

Since its Broadway premiere in 1966, with Robert Preston and Rosemary Harris in the lead roles, through a 1999 revival with Laurence Fishburne and Stockard Channing, numerous high-profile regional productions and a memorable 1968 feature film adaptation, with screenplay by Goldman and starring Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn, it’s been clear that any good production of this drama requires great acting from its battling royals.

In UnCorked’s rendering – with a six-person cast under the finely detailed direction of Allison Olivia Choat, at the Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, through December 15 – Sehnaz Dirik is riveting as Eleanor, but Anthony Mullin is sometimes too muted as Henry, the play’s titular character. While Mullin captures the character’s traditional visual, there is more winter than lion in his portrayal – Henry’s age is advancing, he rarely roars in ways that shake his wife and his family, and his movements, often menacing in other productions, are far less so here.

After her Elliot Norton Award-winning portrayal of the corrosive Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” last season, Theater Uncorked’s producing artistic director Dirik is once again in powerhouse mode, delivering another impressively nuanced portrayal. Dirik’s under-siege Queen is equal parts force and emotion – with a touch of humor, too – as she strives to outmaneuver her husband. When a seated Dirik roots through her jewelry box admiring her gems and baubles while her overwrought sons swirl around her, you see that Eleanor has many motivations to fight for survival.

Playing the three very different sons are Thain Emrys Bertin as the sexually conflicted Richard, his mother’s choice to succeed to the throne; Finian Ross as the flighty youngest son, John, his father’s preferred successor; and James Honaker as treacherous middle son, Geoffrey. All three do interesting work with their very distinct characters – “My Three Sons” this is not.

Also terrific are Micah Livesay as Alais, Henry’s young mistress and Richard’s betrothed, and Matthew Zahnzinger as Phillip II, King of France, the son and successor to Louis XII, Eleanor’s first husband, a dashing but oh-so-sinister scoundrel.

Costume Designer Richard Itczak uses a wealth of fabrics from muslin to brocade and silk for his period-suggesting costumes which are complemented by the gold gilt and tapestries selected Dirik,  who also has responsibility for props and scenic design, to adorn Leonard Chasse's set. Eric Fox’s mood-setting lighting also adds to the action.

Photo caption: Sehnaz Dirik and Anthony Mullin in a scene from the Theater UnCorked production of “The Lion In Winter.” Photo by Gary Thomas Ng.

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