With Colonial Players' latest, "The Lion in Winter," director Mickey Handwerger again proves why he collects awards for CP, Bowie Community Theatre and others in the 20 Maryland theater productions he has directed over the past 15 years. Handwerger somehow makes James Goldman's drama, set around Christmas 1183, current and alive.
The play centers around King Henry II of England and his estranged wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, released from prison to celebrate Christmas with him and their three sons in Chinon, France.
Enemies for a decade, Eleanor and Henry argue over which of their sons will inherit the throne. Henry prefers youngest son John, and Eleanor prefers the eldest, Richard the Lionhearted. This royal game becomes a fascinating struggle filled with revenge and raw emotion.
Handwerger illuminates this drama with affection and wit, accenting the underlying personal elements of these medieval royal struggles to bring relevance to modern family relations, and making every word of dialogue ring with contemporary truth along the way.
The production boasts a medieval royal residence that transports the cast and audience back nearly 1,000 years. Headed by set designer Eric Lund and Laurie Nolan, the CP crew created an authentic-looking medieval chateau. The setting extends beyond the stage to the three theater walls, where chivalric paintings hang and a back wall is enhanced by curved archways adorned by crested shields.
Credit is also due lead carpenter Dick Whaley for set construction and Heather Quinn as design team coordinator of carpenters, painters and production staff, "who spent their holidays creating an 1183 castle and accoutrements." Completing the medieval portrait are Beth Terranova's regal costume designs.
The late playwright Goldman created a royal drama about actual historical figures who form a dysfunctional family locked in a power struggle. The family is headed by clever middle-age parents who speak in modern language to challenge and amuse the audience with such lines as: "We all have knives. It is 1183 and we're barbarians."
The cast is excellent from top to bottom.
Mary Watko as Eleanor presents a multifaceted performance that reveals a lingering affection for her lost spouse; complex maternal love that often becomes a weapon; amused ambivalence toward Henry's mistress (whom she counseled as a child); and rapier wit to deliver each barb in her power struggle.
An equally strong performance is delivered by Kevin Wallace as Henry II, roaring through his reign as a powerful king willing to gamble everything to make his favorite son, John, his successor. He relishes their battle while subtly signaling his underlying affection for Eleanor, whom he has had locked in prison for the past 10 years. Scenes between Wallace's Henry and Watko's Eleanor are as emotionally charged as anything we're likely to see this season.
Playing the three princes are 17-year-old Eric Schaum, who is convincing as the bratty, spoiled youngest son John; versatile actor and experienced director Ron Giddings plays brainy strategist and middle son Geoffrey with an intriguing combination of smoldering anger and defensive iciness; and Pat Reynolds gives another brilliant performance as Richard, already a warrior and destined to gain a vast kingdom, who shows a vulnerable devotion to his mother while hiding a dark secret.
Josh Greenwald, memorable in his only previous CP performance as Jason in "Rabbit Hole," gives another excellent performance as King Phillip II of France, the son of Eleanor's ex-husband and half-brother of Alais.
Erin Casey makes her CP debut as Princess Alais, Henry's young mistress and self-described "pawn with the most to lose." She delivers a strong performance, holding her own in scenes with Watko and Wallace.
If you go
"The Lion in Winter" continues Thursdays through Sundays through Jan. 30 at Colonial Players Theater, 104 East St. in Annapolis. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors 65 and older and students. Tickets may be purchased by calling the box office at 410-268-7373 or online at cplayers.com.