There are plays we think we know because of the familiarity of their titles. Their focus may be blurred in our memory, and we may even confuse them with similar icons on our cultural desktop.
Make them plays about English history, and many of us react with a big yawn. Who can keep all of those Henrys and Richards straight? Who wants to?
That impulse is so wrong in the case of the production of "The Lion in Winter" the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre opened last weekend. With outstanding performances from Brian Mani and Tracy Michelle Arnold, it is fresh, stimulating and entertaining.
"The Lion in Winter" was penned in the mid-1960s by the late James Goldman, a versatile writer whose work ran the spectrum from novels and screenplays to the book for the Stephen Sondheim musical "Follies." Set in 1183, "Lion" is about the dysfunctional family life of King Henry II of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their adult sons.
Eleanor has been imprisoned by her husband for 10 years, but he periodically allows her to leave her confinement for family time. We see that during a Christmas furlough she has been granted.
"Lion" debuted on Broadway in 1966 and ran for only 92 performances. We all know if for the 1968 film adaptation that starred Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, and won Goldman a screenplay Oscar.
Kudos to Chamber Theatre artistic director C. Michael Wright for pulling the drama from the drawer of history and giving us the opportunity to rediscover it. Goldman's script is marvelously written with sharp humor and an understanding of human nature.
"Lion" is driven by an amusing conceit. These 12th century characters, presented in period costumes and scenery, communicate in 20th century dialogue that is blunt and precise.
Eleanor in particular is cleverly shrewd, and that plays to the velvet-voiced Arnold's ability to deliver her lines with a bitingly acidic edge. The actress, who like Mani spends her summers at the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, is perfectly cast.
Goldman wrote "Lion" as historical fiction. Most but not all of the plot is true.
While Eleanor is restricted in prison, Henry carries on an open affair with the much younger Alais, who was raised in the royal court by Eleanor in sort of a stepmother situation. Alais was betrothed to Henry and Eleanor's son, Richard, when she was 8, but dad has elbowed his kid out of the way to enjoy the favors of the lovely ingenue. Being king has some nice perks.
Two serious questions are the topics of Christmas discussion in this verbal fencing match. Which of the couple's three flawed sons should be designated heir to the throne, and will Henry petition the pope to annul his long marriage to Eleanor so he can marry Alais?
Although he may have the power to keep his wife behind bars, she wields her own clout in the world, including influence in the Vatican. She also has her favorite among the sons.
Goldman's smart script resonates with truth because he sketches out this scenario in varying shades of gray, acknowledging universal human traits and paradoxes. Arnold and Mani excel at portraying that, showing us complicated and conflicting feelings.
Animosity is tempered by residual respect and affection, and it becomes clear that despite her decade-long imprisonment, a flame for Henry still flickers in Eleanor's heart. Mani achieves the difficult, making the philandering monarch somewhat likable.
His Henry sometimes stomps around like a bad boy CEO, but he possesses a humanity that is recognizable and understandable. He has shunted aside his wife and taken a younger lover because he can. That doesn't make it right, but we can surely relate to this behavior in contemporary society.
Alexandra Bonesho, one of several Marquette University theater students in the show, displays a strong and credible presence as Alais. The rest of the cast is surprisingly bland, with Marcus Truschinski's Richard Lionheart making no impression.
"The Lion in Winter" continues through May 1 in the Cabot Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway.
Damien has been around so long, he was at Summerfest the night George Carlin was arrested for speaking the seven dirty words you can't say on TV. He was also at the Uptown Theatre the night Bruce Springsteen's first Milwaukee concert was interrupted for three hours by a bomb scare. Damien was reviewing the concert for the Milwaukee Journal. He wrote for the Journal and Journal Sentinel for 37 years, the last 29 as theater critic.
During those years, Damien served two terms on the board of the American Theatre Critics Association, a term on the board of the association's foundation, and he studied the Latinization of American culture in a University of Southern California fellowship program. Damien also hosted his own arts radio program, "Milwaukee Presents with Damien Jaques," on WHAD for eight years.
Travel, books and, not surprisingly, theater top the list of Damien's interests. A news junkie, he is particularly plugged into politics and international affairs, but he also closely follows the Brewers, Packers and Marquette baskeball. Damien lives downtown, within easy walking distance of most of the theaters he attends.
