Updated ‘Lion in Winter’ crackles with power

Tom Titus

Upon first viewing the setting for Vanguard University’s “The Lion in

Winter,” you assume you must be in the wrong venue. Playwright James

Goldman wrote this savagely comedic play about King Henry II of

England, circa 1183, and Vanguard’s stage appears set for a revival

of “Charley’s Aunt.”

Then there’s the introduction of individual characters -- to an

amalgam of Motown and disco music -- before the first line of

dialogue is uttered. The queen arrives boogieing down to “Set Me

Free, Why Don’t You, Babe,” which makes sense since she’s been

Henry’s prisoner for the last 10 years.

Director Marianne Savell has pushed the fast-forward button on her

history book and set this 12th century epic in 1983, but left its

dialogue intact. This concept often works fine with Shakespearean

fiction, but these were real kings and queens who plotted wars and

palace coups seven centuries ago, rendering the adaptation more

difficult to accept.

Having said that, it also must be admitted that Vanguard’s “The

Lion in Winter” is one terrific powerhouse of a production. The

college’s multi-talented artistic director, Susan Berkompas, had long

been wired in for the role of the captive queen Eleanor, and she’s

joined by two other professional actors -- Richard Davies as Henry

and Darren Kjeldsen as the oldest surviving son, Richard, destined to

rule one day.

With this sort of megawatt acting power, the play could be set on

a desert island for all the physical distraction it might engender.

Yet the dialogue incongruities remain in the discussion of wars and

uprisings, although Savell has trimmed all references to Eleanor’s

being Henry’s chronological senior, since Berkompas obviously is much

younger than Davies.

When these two clash, cuddle and clash again, it’s like watching

George and Martha from “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Davies

glories in his regal power and in his taunting of the three sons over

which will be heir to the throne. It’s a superlative exercising of

wit and willpower from which Vanguard students can learn volumes.

As his discarded queen, Berkompas delivers an outstanding

fire-and-ice portrayal, her wide eyes telegraphing her inner

motivation and flashing with ironic glee after each victory in the

continuing battle royal. Her tender scenes with the young woman she

has known since childhood and who now has become her rival for

Henry’s affections are particularly involving.

Kjeldsen depicts the warrior prince Richard as a bold, ballistic

force whose raw ambition renders him unlovable as a son. Mark Parker

deftly enacts the middle son, Geoffrey, as a Machiavellian schemer,

changing allegiances with each shift of the wind.

The youngest prince, John, traditionally has been played as a

weakling and a buffoon. Adam Hurst goes a bit further in his

portrayal, rendering the character as a bratty, tantrum-throwing,

oversized juvenile delinquent. Amy Maier, who shares the role of

Henry’s mistress Alais with Elisabeth Rose, is stunning as “the only

pawn” among the kings, queens and lords, offering a performance of

delicate sensibility.

The only discordant note in the Vanguard production is A.J.

Teaters’ Philip, king of France. Teaters plays the young monarch as a

punk rocker with an irritating accent who turns his one scene of

magnitude into a torrent of overstatement.

Tim Mueller’s scenic design -- though totally wrong for this play

-- is nevertheless attractive and well detailed, as is the lighting

design of Dan Volonte and Tina Nelson. Costumer Lia Hansen has

created some striking garments, except for Teaters’ decidedly

un-kingly attire, with Berkompas in particular appearing quite regal.

“The Lion in Winter” was one of the more important plays of the

1960s, and setting it 700 years past its time may be somewhat

difficult for audiences to swallow, yet the power and perception of

its performances at Vanguard University soon erase these misgivings.

It has, strangely, long been categorized as a comedy -- even though

knives are at throats -- and this version is about as funny as it

gets, albeit retaining its rich, dramatic power.

DRAMA, MUSIC MEET AT UCI

UC Irvine will launch the world premiere of a play/opera, Charles

Mee’s “The War to End War,” this weekend, a combined project of UCI’s

drama and music departments in the university’s Claire Trevor

Theater.

Drama professor Annie Loui, who staged Mee’s “Big Love” last

season, is directing the show. Robin Buck is the vocal director and

Stephen Tucker conducts the orchestra. The production, which freshly

interprets and enhances Mee’s play of the same name from the 1980s,

features a new score by Nathan Birnbaum.

“The War to End War” zeroes in on the nature of war, moving from

the Treaty of Versailles, through the eruptions between wars

represented in a cabaret performance, to an eerie poker game played

by the creators of the atom bomb at Los Alamos.

Performances will be given tonight and Saturday and April 29

through May 1 at 8 p.m., with matinees Saturday and May 1 at 2 p.m.

Call (949) 824-2787 for ticket information.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.