While watching the newly installed slide show, I noticed there is a dearth of people. Here are several scenes from The Lion in Winter, which I directed in early 2007 ... Wow ... It's been three years. I cannot believe that! And it's almost three years to the day when I ... Well, that's a story for another time.
From a creative standpoint, this show rocked. I've always loved the movie, and to be able to do a stage production was simply amazing. The dialogue is rich and wonderful and each character has at least one scene in which to shine. This is a show I would do again in a heartbeat.
The Lion in Winter takes place over Christmas in 1183. King Henry II of England has invited King Philip of France to the Christmas Court. Henry's wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, has been temporarily released from castle arrest (because of a plan to overthrow Henry) to attend. Their three sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John are jockeying for position as to who will succeed Henry upon his demise, natural or otherwise. Philip's sister, Alais, is John's fiancee according to a treaty between England and France, is Henry's mistress, and then Richard's fiancee according to Henry's whims. The family plots against, plans with, and snaps at each other. Alliances are formed, then broken. (If your family Christmas is anything like this, YIKES!)
I didn't take this photo, but I wish I did. I love this angle. Moral of the story ... Never dare your estranged husband to make out with his mistress in front of you.
At the end of the show, Christmas Eve has turned into Christmas morn. Eleanor seeks comfort in Henry's arms, and he's wondering what the hell just happened.
Looking at these stills, it's easy to see where improvements can be made. I wanted the set to be as bare bones as possible, as dark as possible, and it was; it was how I designed it. I believe it can be more and still be less at the same time. The main flaw was I didn't get a matte finish paint which wouldn't have reflected the light as much; simply no excuse for not traveling down the road someplace else. And instead of renting costumes, get measurements on Day One and make them. What we had worked, and Eleanor's costume was made, and it was awesome, but we could've done more with color theory and characters.
Speaking of adjustments, Max, who played Philip, was reflecting on how much he'd grown as an actor versus where he was in high school. I got what I wanted out of him as Philip. He wondered if he could improve upon it. I told him I didn't think "improvement" was the right word. I added, "If you were to do it today, would it end up different? Given the experiences you've had since then, yes, it would be. Would it be better? Hard to say. Aside from some subtle shadings you would instinctively add now, it wouldn't detract from it at all. Both would be strong performances in their own right."
Yes, this is a show I like to revisit from time to time to replenish the well and get the creative juices going. Yul Brynner did it with The King and I; Carol Channing with Hello, Dolly! So I don't think it falls under the category of Bruce Springsteen's Glory Days. Since Lion, I tackled The Rocky Horror Show, and have sketched out plans for numerous other productions that will someday see fruition, but I will never forget the time when this amazing cast and crew rocked my face off.
Related Links: Theatre Logos, Doing the Time Warp, I want to be a producer ..., Theatre, A Christmas Memory
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