Typically, Christmas is a time of coming together for families, a time when everyone puts aside their difficulties to share a meal and a few kind words (and especially some gifts). The best part of Christmas is taking a break from thinking about work or personal plans and just relaxing, maybe watching "A Christmas Story" or "It's a Wonderful Life" on the television and fiddling with some new toys. Not so in the household of King Henry II.
"The Lion in Winter" opens with 50-year-old Henry, in the chambers of his mistress Alais, discussing the return of his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine - whom he has kept imprisoned for 10 years and whose sons are fit to be made Henry's successor as king of England. The plot thickens from here, as Henry and his wife plan against each other to have their own picks as successor. While each of the sons themselves maneuver in their own ways to be chosen, Henry supports his youngest son John, Eleanor stands behind Richard. Geoffrey, the middle son, is generally ignored by his parents in their consideration of who becomes king and himself plots to discredit either of their choices in order to be king by default. As Henry says near the beginning of the play, "You can hear the walls thinking."
All of this plot and counter-plot seems confusing on the surface, and it is. By the end of the play, there is no clear winner and nothing has been resolved, but the dialogue is fast-paced and riveting throughout, and the twists and turns along the ride are as exciting as a Dan Brown thriller, if not more meaningful. The characters, many of whom you might recognize in your own family, consistently shock and delight - though mostly shock - and play off each other masterfully to create a web of suspicion and lies, consistently delivering convincing lines that are revealed as lies in the next scene.
The characters range from the convincing, commanding authority of Henry II, whose confident stage presence and impressive stature lead to a very forceful, believable king character to the clipped, sarcastic, melodramatic Eleanor to the childish, petulant John. John's character is the weakest link in the cast's chain, as his angsty, over-the-top whining - which is funny at first - quickly becomes grating. Geoffrey also seems overdramatic and sniveling, failing to be the sly character we expect by being overtly excited.
While the play itself is interesting and entertaining, it may not be put on in the most amenable of settings for a lot of college students. The St. Sebastian Players, now in their 26th year, are a non-profit group who perform professionally in the basement of the St. Bonaventure Church, rather than at one of the many theaters located around town. That is not necessarily a bad thing, though, as the crowd is traditionally small (the room seats roughly 50 people), and the intimate setting ensures little distractions during the play. The director also pulls no punches in regards to the setting - let's just say that if you've always wanted to see two guys kiss in a church, here's your chance.
"The Lion in Winter" is a thrillingly fun ride and tweaking one or two of the characters could make for a very solid show. Though the venue may turn off some, the cheap price and quality of production make the play a worthwhile investment on a slow weekend. And chances are, their family is a little bit more dysfunctional at Christmas than your own.
"The Lion in Winter" shows Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from now through Nov. 12. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and $7 for seniors and children under 12. St. Bonaventure Church is located at 1625 W. Diversey St. For more information, call (773) 404-7922.
3 / 5 STARS
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