Above all, trust no one.
It shouldn't take you long to figure that out after the beginning of "The Lion In Winter", James Goldman's play on which the film of the same name is based. Henry II and his estranged wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, are together at a castle in France to celebrate Christmas. Estranged is not quite adequate to explain their situation. Henry actually has Eleanor imprisoned but allows her to appear for the holidays. At least he does sometimes, it appears. Originally, the marriage appeared to be a sound one, but things went sour, perhaps because of Henry's womanizing but more likely because of family politics.
There are three surviving sons, all present. It's not because of family ties, goodness knows – the sons despise each other, devoutly loathe their mother, and hate their father, the latter emotion kept somewhat in check because – and here's where it gets good – primogeniture, that business about the oldest son inheriting the throne? That hadn't become custom or law yet, and the boys all want the family business. Shocking, wot? The king has said he will name his heir this Christmas, being under pressure from French King Phillip.
Phillip's sister Alais, is betrothed to one of the boys, Richard – who would grow up to be the Lionhearted. He's Eleanor's candidate for the throne. He's also being cuckolded by his father, and everyone knows it. Henry really prefers his youngest son, John. Who knows why he can't see John is a doofus? (John did eventually get the crown and was so incompetent his barons rose up, rebelled and forced him to sign the Magna Carta.)
Pretty much everyone, with the possible exception of Alais, is playing and plotting against everyone else. The script is full of zingers and twists for the whole cast. But it's Henry and Eleanor whose relationship is the most fascinating. Jeffrey King is bigger than life, not particularly royal-looking but with the ease and power that comes with the position. He roars, he demands, he soothes, he woos. Carol Schultz is the queen, more human than regal, who can can twist her position and her words like one of those horses in barrel-racing competitions. She's excellent except for the presumably directorial choice of Ed Stern to have her use a mid-Atlantic accent, a la Katherine Hepburn, who won her third Oscar for this role in the film.
The eldest of the remaining boys, Geoffrey, is Wilson Bridges, the quietest of the bunch, with a slow burn. Richard, Grayson DeJesus, is so full of testosterone (used for combativeness, not romance) he practically glows in the dark. And Kurt Hellerich, John with his immense sense of entitlement and apparently miniscule brain, seems to have been born to flounce. The lovely French princess, Angela Janas, warms us with her fondness for the aging king.
Costumes from Mathew J. LeFebvre are more restrained than some might expect. But these are Plantagenets in the medieval period, not those showy Tudors, and it's all in keeping with that. The set, fine enough to imply palace without immense detail, is from scenic designer Joseph P. Tilford. Director Stern keeps things moving quickly, even with all the exposition, and the pacing is excellent.
But the sort of family dynamics that you'd probably find on reality tv these days.
The Lion In Winter
through January 31
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
314-968-4925