The arch dialogue in James Goldman’s 1966 drama The Lion in Winter (turned into a 1968 film starring Katharine Hepburn and Peter O’Toole) about the eventful Christmas of 1183 at the English court hasn’t aged well—it calls too much attention to its own cleverness while often failing to advance either the plot or our understanding of the characters. Fortunately, director Ron OJ Parson slices right through that surface to reveal the universal components of the battle between Henry II and his imprisoned wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, over who will inherit the throne. As they and their sons plot and spar, we see every family with something to fight over and lose, from Medea to King Lear to Succession.
The Lion in Winter
Through 12/3: Wed-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat-Sun 2 and 7:30 PM; touch tour, audio description, and ASL interpretation Sat 12/2 2 PM (touch tour 1:30 PM), open captions Sunday 12/3 2 PM; no shows Wed-Thu 11/22-11/23; Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis, 773-753-4472, courttheatre.org, $56-$88
And if the result is actually more The Lioness in Winter, that’s because Rebecca Spence infuses Eleanor with wisdom that continues to elude John Hoogenakker’s Henry. She sees that efforts to shape the world after their deaths are futile, and moreover, that those efforts have cost them the love of their lives—each other. This Eleanor has figured out that their sons are disappointments, their lovers mere distractions, and even their prized land just dirt, and she spends the play trying to convey that to Henry, who’s too busy scheming to notice that his life is slipping away. These two well-matched performers receive able support from Shane Kenyon, Brandon Miller, and Kenneth La’Ron Hamilton as the rival princes, Anthony Baldasare as the king of France, and the tender Netta Walker as his sister (who is also Henry’s winter passion). Linda Buchanan’s castle set makes clear that Eleanor may be the only one in custody, but they’re all trapped.