In The Lion in Winter, a family Christmas becomes a family at war. Henry II, not so young as he was, invites his estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitane, and his three sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John, to spend the festive season with him, his mistress Princess Alais, and her brother, the young King Philip of France. Will Henry name who is to be his successor as King of England? Their yuletide celebration turns into a combat zone of deceit, betrayal, bitter power games and scabrous wit.
The Lion in Winter was famously made into a 1968 film starring Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole. It was revived on Broadway in 1999 in a production starring Hollywood’s Laurence Fishburne as Henry and Stockard Channing as Eleanor.
The Lion In Winter will return Robert Lindsay to the Haymarket, where he last played Cyrano de Bergerac in 1992. His many other stage credits include Me and My Girl (which won him an a Olivier and a Tony), Oliver! (which won him another Olivier), The Entertainer, Richard III and, last year in the West End, Onassis.
Joanna Lumley’s most recent stage credits include The Cherry Orchard, Blithe Spirit, Hedda Gabler, The Letter and La Bete, in which she made her Broadway debut after its West End run last year.
Book you The Lion in Winter tickets today for what promises to be one of the hits of the London Winter season!
Trevor Nunn's revival of The Lion in Winter by James Goldman opened to critics last night (15 November, previews from 5 November) at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, the final production in Nunn's year-long tenure as artistic director of the venue.
Made famous by the 1968 film starring Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, The Lion in Winter puts Henry II centre stage as he considers his successors as King of England.
He gathers his imprisoned wife, Eleanor of Aquitane, and his three sons to spend the season with him along with his mistress Princess Alais and her brother, causing a normally joyous holiday to turn the family against one another.
"As a play that doggedly refuses to bare its teeth, The Lion in Winter is more like a lambkin in spring ... Lindsay opts for the sardonic approach and, despite deploying his always impressive full vocal range, he astonishes me most by being so boring ... Miss Lumley, fragrantly elegant as ever, looks as though she’s just stopped by from a Bond Street beauty parlour en route to a fancy dress competition ... What happens? Very little, and the play, which bristles with a job lot of funny lines that aren’t actually funny, expires slowly around its perpetrators until it stops in a fractious stalemate. By which time one has rather tired of admiring Stephen Brimson Lewis’ beautiful set of receding grey arches and seasonal decorations. Mind you, the evening did not start well in offering a view of the inert stone effigies of Henry and Eleanor followed by several projected paragraphs of historical scene-setting. Come on, folks, this is a theatre, not a lecture hall: if you can’t act it, cut it ... Robert Lindsay electrified Martin Sherman’s Onassis with his performance as the monstrous Greek shipping magnate, but seems in no mood to pull the stops out here. And Joanna Lumley doesn’t so much perform as deliver a judicious selection of poses and pronouncements that seem strangely unequal to her brittle talent."
"This revival of James Goldman’s creaky but still enjoyable play ... has been brilliantly timed for the festive season ... it’s historical hokum but high-class hokum, stylishly designed by Stephen Brimson Lewis, and much funnier on stage than in the overblown film. Here, an almost Black Adder-ish atmosphere prevails, along with melodramatic, carpet-chewing performances that seem deliberately designed to provoke titters rather than awe. For once that solemn, beard-stroking director Trevor Nunn seems to be having a bit of fun ... the comedy becomes particularly piquant when it emerges that the macho Richard the Lionheart, all bristling aggression in Tom Bateman’s performance, has been having a gay fling with the French monarch. But what really powers the play is the relationship between Herny II and his once beloved Queen, and Robert Lindsay and Joanna Lumley don’t disappoint ... Lindsay is in terrific form, despite a worrying mullet hairstyle, dominating the stage with a mixture of rage and engaging wit. She movingly suggests a woman all too well aware that she is past her prime ... The play itself may be a touch arthritic but when Lindsay and Lumley are tearing chunks out of each other, it still packs a powerful punch."
"Trevor Nunn's tenure at the Haymarket has given us fine revivals of Rattigan, Stoppard and Shakespeare. What puzzles me is why Nunn, with all the riches of world drama at his disposal, should dredge up this Broadway hokum by James Goldman. It may have made a tolerable movie in 1968 but, seen on stage, it looks hollow and meretricious ... The key to historical drama is some purchase on the present: true of everything from Brecht to Bolt. But, though Goldman's marital slugfest has echoes of Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, to a contemporary audience it has little relevance. Goldman's solution is dialogue with joky, anachronistic modernity to persuade us these Plantagenet plotters are just like us ... In the end, the play is an exhibition bout for actors. There is a genuine pleasure in watching Robert Lindsay at work as Henry II: a resonant voice, heroic swagger, and capacity to invest even Goldman's slick dialogue with emotion ... Joanna Lumley also does a good job as Eleanor. Although compared to Medea, Medusa and Circe, Lumley seems more angry pussycat than classical tigress; but she does deliver Goldman's one-liners with the right snap, crackle and pop, and suggests a devious mind at work. Amongst the sons, Joseph Drake stands out, while Sonya Cassidy lends the mistress a delicately erotic presence. But, although Nunn directs the whole event with great efficiency, one is left wondering why he bothered ... All one gets is some high-grade performances in a play that, in its relentless jokiness, might be dubbed 1183 And All That."
"Robert Lindsay and Joanna Lumley are evidently enjoying themselves in this revival of James Goldman's 1966 play ... The chemistry between them is satisfying. But the writing, for all its verve and seasonal spirit, feels glib ... The wranglings that result are at times amusing. We are meant to gather that despite the gap of more than 800 years, these 12th century dignitaries are much like us. That is questionable but it is the occasion for some lively, flippant comedy that has more than a whiff of Blackadder about it - while also recalling the feverish tensions of sitcom ... The politics of family life are conveyed mainly through set pieces. There are zingy lines ('What shall we hang - the holly or each other?', asks Henry) but the ironies and rhetorical switchbacks do not afford much sense of either character or dramatic urgency. Lindsay cuts a dash. It is not the first time he has played Henry II, having portrayed him 20 years ago in Becket. Here he is charismatic and fluent. Lumley does a very fine job of undercutting her regal diction with a far-from-queenly demeanour and there is convincing support from Drake, Bateman and Norton, as well as Sonya Cassidy and Rory Fleck-Byrne. Trevor Nunn directs unfussily and the design by Stephen Brimson Lewis is elegant. Yet while The Lion In Winter is an inoffensive star vehicle, funny enough to sustain interest, it is hard to see why it warrants a revival."
Libby Purves The Times ★★★
"If it sounds like an EastEnders script pluckily attempting the sourness of Edward Albee and the intricacy of Iris Murdoch, you’re not far off ... Although sumptuously set by Stephen Brimson Lewis amid arches, tapestries, and artfully revolving medieval furniture, there are no servants or courtiers, and the royal couple deck their own holly. Robert Lindsay is Henry, his flowing locks and air of command spookily reminiscent of the director Trevor Nunn himself, and Joanna Lumley the estranged queen. But visually lovely as it is, the play is clunky: its sharper lines drowned in verbosity unable to settle on being history, black comedy or just a 12th-century version of Private Lives, with Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine as an ageing Elyot and Amanda. Worse, there is no believable emotional line for Eleanor. Lumley is tremendous at ranting, comedy and deliberate bathos ... But her moments of weakness and dismay are too controlled, too steely; and in her borderline incestuous relationship with Richard there is something just too wholesome. It is comic loucheness that this actress can peerlessly convey, not depravity. When she reminisces about first meeting Henry ... she carries an almost frighteningly sporty conviction. Lindsay, though, is at times genuinely moving in his weary ageing determination ... The play’s faults make it a frustrating evening, for all the talent poured into it. But it was a treat to see young Joseph Drake again ... Now that I did enjoy."
"National treasure she may be, but is Joanna Lumley a top stage actress? Not on the evidence of last night when, alongside Robert Lindsay, she laboured her way through James Goldman’s cod-historical 1966 play The Lion In Winter. In part it is playwright Goldman’s fault. This 1966 play is a strange mish-mash ... But The Lion In Winter is not Spamalot (more’s the pity). It tries to chart the rivalries of the princes and the king and queen ... All their plots and politicking, which become tiresomely convoluted, are meant to show us Henry and Eleanor as devilish chess players. Miss Lumley does everything at the same tempo, the same heat. What a two-dimensional disappointment. Mr Lindsay, cursed by a wig which is almost Planet Of The Apes bad, does his best to keep the show boiling. It’s not his fault that it fails. The set is ersatz Plantaganet pile, monumental pillars and clerestories and wine goblets like something from the Hollywood of 50 years ago. Sir Trevor Nunn, who perhaps fancies himself a Henry II, directs."
As a play that doggedly refuses to bare its teeth, The Lion in Winter is more like a lambkin in spring. James Goldman’s 1966 Broadway play was a flop at the time, but the title still resonates because of the movie.
So, on paper at least, this sounded like a good seasonal bet for Trevor Nunn’s final throw in his Haymarket tenure as artistic director: a solid historical drama with all the trimmings and the star power of Robert Lindsay as the gruff, Lear-like Henry II and Joanna Lumley as his imprisoned queen.
Instead, we seem to have run into a diluted medieval version of an Alan Ayckbourn play, set around the Christmas tree in Henry’s French chateau, where family divisions and the future of the king’s occupation of France are batted around like, well, a whole lot of balls.
“It’s 1183 – and we are still barbarians!” You could have fooled me. At least Peter O'Toole tears into the role on screen like a demented savage with a cruel streak; Lindsay opts for the sardonic approach and, despite deploying his always impressive full vocal range, he astonishes me most by being so boring.
He’s kept Eleanor of Aquitaine, ten years his senior, in prison for a decade, though Miss Lumley, fragrantly elegant as ever, looks as though she’s just stopped by from a Bond Street beauty parlour en route to a fancy dress competition.
The court has been assembled – though we don’t see any flunkeys or trumpeters – to thrash out the future of the dynasty, which involves Henry’s three gormless sons (two of whom, historically, Richard Lionheart and John, would eventually succeed), King Philip II of France (Rory Fleck-Byrne), who is the son of Eleanor’s former husband, Louis VII, and Philip’s half-sister, Alais (Sonya Cassidy), who is Henry’s mistress.
What happens? Very little, and the play, which bristles with a job lot of funny lines that aren’t actually funny, expires slowly around its perpetrators until it stops in a fractious stalemate. By which time one has rather tired of admiring Stephen Brimson Lewis’s beautiful set of receding grey arches and seasonal decorations.
Mind you, the evening did not start well in offering a view of the inert stone effigies of Henry and Eleanor followed by several projected paragraphs of historical scene-setting. Come on, folks, this is a theatre, not a lecture hall: if you can’t act it, cut it.
The best you can say of Goldman (brother of novelist William), who died in 1998, is that he had the good grace to go on from this to write the libretto for Sondheim’s Follies and the screenplay of Nicholas and Alexandra.
Robert Lindsay electrified Martin Sherman’s Onassis with his performance as the monstrous Greek shipping magnate, but seems in no mood to pull the stops out here. And Joanna Lumley doesn’t so much perform as deliver a judicious selection of poses and pronouncements that seem strangely unequal to her brittle talent.
What on earth has got in to Trevor Nunn? After years of increasingly ponderous devotion to Shakespeare and other worthy revivals, he's suddenly gone all Blackadder or 1066 and All That. This wildly improbable story of Henry II, his mistress, his queen temporarily released from prison and three disputatious sons is played almost exclusively for laughs and appropriately stars Robert Lindsay in what could be a pilot for a new sitcom - My Plantagenet Family. To be fair the first half is frequently very funny as the one liners are traded back and forth as the family gather for the sort of Christmas Alan Ayckbourn would be proud of. After the interval it all gets a bit bogged down and the convoluted betrayals and double crosses become wearisome. At least it proves that Joanna Lumley is a credible stage actress as Eleanor even if some of her gestures are a bit over-stated. If the energy and humour of the first half had been maintained this could have been quite a jolly romp but it's as if everybody lost their nerve and tried to inject some authentic history which James Goldman's rather silly story cannot support. - David Baxter
27 Jan 12
I am disappointed with Michael Coveney's review. I suppose that he is responsible for an entire section of seats being empty in the gallery. Contrary to what he wrote, the dialogue had great poetic power and wit; Lumley's and Lindsay's acting was stylized and razor sharp; the script was funny and thought-provoking (conflict between personal, political and religious values) and had some development. Though admittedly it was difficult to work out the true motives and intentions of all the characters and warm to them and thus there was not a strong sense of plot development or suspense. It became more of a light-hearted, sardonic, period sit-com. All in all, I couldn't ask for more a more enjoyable Christmas play--I didn't want my heart torn out or to view seasonal mawkishness. - Jonathan
24 Dec 11
There’s no point in having two national treasures, five fine young (recently graduated) actors and an elegant period set if your material is dull….and I mean dull.
Set in 1183 at the court of Henry II and Eleanor, James Goldman’s play takes an interesting slice of history, adds in some anachronistic modern dialogue (which doesn’t offend and sometimes raises a smile) and somehow makes it all deeply uninteresting. Eleanor has offended Henry so she’s imprisoned (today, we call it ‘under house arrest’) whilst his three sons are vying for the succession. The young King of France gets involved; apparently he’s a former lover of son Richard – can’t remember that in the history books! The favours of the queen (Eleanor!) and both kings change as they are courted and secrets are revealed, many whilst other characters are behind the curtains!
It’s all very clunky and hardly engages at all. You’re far more interested in the set and the performances than the play and spend quite a bit of the time wondering why on earth anyone thought it was worthy of revival. Of course, if I was cynical, I’d say ‘star casting means money’. Well, surely Trevor Nunn, Robert Lindsay and Joanna Lumley wouldn’t be part of that? Anyway, star casting no longer means money; they’re papering the house mercilessly (I didn’t pay).
Though I missed The Tempest, this has been a disappointing quartet from Nunn at the Theatre Royal Haymarket this year. Other than Flare Path, poor choices leading to mediocrity. I see they’re transferring One Man, Two Guvnors here – that should pay off the overdraft. - Gareth James
21 Dec 11
A wonderful evening.Congratulations to everyone cocerned in the production. - P. Davies
17 Dec 11
I really enjoyed the play. A fantastic set, lovely music and a super cast. So glad that I was able to see such a funny play (the theatre was almost full on Saturday evening)! - Paul Thurtle
29 Nov 11
Oh dear... somebody got out of bed on the wrong side!! I have just come back from seeing a performance of this play and thought it was delightful. I actually had little in order of expectations for this play but am deeply thrilled to be proven otherwise. The performances from Lumley and Lindsay are fantastic, the lines are hilariously funny and the sets are subtly stunning. If you haven't seen it yet then please do go - I doubt very much you will be disappointed. I haven't been to the theatre for a number of months and what a fantastic choice of play to get me back in the mood. There are lots of quite poor productions that make their way on to the West End stage... but this is not one of them. Enjoy - Ethan Chapples
24 Nov 11
Well maybe I was watching something else but I thought it was good. Yes the leads Lindsay and Lumley are not O'Toole or Hepburn from the film but they master their roles very very well. This is a play of words and of certain comic moments in the love/hate relationship of King henry II and Queen Eleanor and both the leads captured those comic moments very well and made us laugh. The stage setting and costumes excellent and the disfunctional family supporting cast good. I had read the WOS review before going to see it and thought It was going to be a Dud but on the contrary, enjoyed it very much and from all those around us , the same they all thought it was good. - Joe Spiteri
Opened 29 Dec 1720. Closed in 1737 (partly for attacking the government), re-opened 1747. The current theatre opened on 4th July 1821 and was designed by Nash. The last theatre in London to use candles (1837). 888 seats. Society of London Theatre member.
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