Stage Reviews : Royals Get Treatment in Huntington’s ‘Lion’

If current headlines give a clue, England’s royal family is probably the world’s most famous dysfunctional family. That’s nothing new. Dysfunctional families have often surrounded the throne of England. In James Goldman’s “The Lion in Winter” at the Huntington Beach Playhouse, Eleanor of Aquitaine admits, “Every family has its ups and downs.”

It’s 1183 A.D., Christmastime. King Henry II has gathered his three princely sons for the holiday, along with Eleanor, the wife who fought a civil war against him and has since been imprisoned. The biggest Christmas present Henry can give is his throne. But which son will get it? Henry isn’t saying, only hinting by throwing bait out to the three young men. And Eleanor is no mean bait-thrower either.

Goldman’s play, accessibly written in modern English, is rich in humanity and humor, a delicious slice of history spiced with wit and insights into the little failures that often make history happen.

Director Cyndi Mitchell has the feel of the late 12th Century in hand, and though she leans a bit too firmly toward the heavy dramatic elements in Goldman’s script, the flavor is right. That leaning gives her actors some effective moments but takes away from the gritty, sparkling fun in much of Goldman’s dialogue, and the moments gained--and time spent--does not enliven the form of the play.

Jeff Warner’s set, a sort of three-dimensional chess board at a steep rake, is unusually effective for this particular play and allows Mitchell opportunities for some inventive staging. Against the black-curtained background, however, white wall hangings have to be changed and rearranged to indicate different locales; it would have been best left plain. The dialogue and Mitchell’s blocking do that easily enough without the long pauses the changes require.

Mitchell has cast the play stylishly with a cast that looks just right in Korina Fitzgerald’s correctly rough-hewn period costumes. The women’s gowns might be a bit softer, but the men look grand.

For maximum impact, this piece needs a strong Henry and testy Eleanor. Steven Biggs and Judith Montgomery fill their images with imagination and charisma. Biggs is particularly effective, with his muscular readings and the warm amusement that ripples just below the surface of his delivery. Elizabeth Ochsner is very effective as the volatile Alais Capet, sister to the young King Philip of France, Henry’s mistress and one of Henry’s pawns.

The sons, and the 17-year-old King Philip, are all played by actors in the proper age ranges, and they are admirable. Robert Seeley’s Richard, who became King Richard I the Lion Heart, is embittered and greedy; John Arthur’s Geoffrey, whose son much later became King Alfred, is conniving, oily and greedy; and Jesse Wilder’s 16-year-old John Lackland, who became the nasty King John who signed the Magna Carta, is pouty, petulant and greedy.

Their greed is not forgotten by Daddy and Mommy, but the performances have an honesty that elicits empathy. More mature than these Plantagenet problem children, in spite of his 17 years, King Philip of France is suave, wise and decisive by comparison, a comfortably sure performance by Peter E. Koehler.

‘The Lion in Winter’

* A Huntington Beach Playhouse production of the James Goldman play. Directed by Cyndi Mitchell. With Steven Biggs, Judith Montgomery, Robert Seeley, John Arthur, Jesse Wilder, Elizabeth Ochsner and Peter E. Koehler. Set and lighting: Jeff Warner. Sound: Cyndi Mitchell. Costumes: Korina Fitzgerald. At the Huntington Beach Playhouse, 22141 Strathmoor Lane, Huntington Beach. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees, Jan. 24 & Feb. 14. Ends Feb. 14. $9 to $10; (714) 832-1405. Running time: 2 hours, 55 minutes.