The Lion in Winter
by Wimberley Players
Aug. 24 - Aug. 25 (2018)
It is Christmas 1183 in King Henry II of England's palace in Chinon, France. Henry is discussing with his mistress, Alais, the upcoming day's events. Henry's family will be gathering for the holiday—his wife Eleanor, whom Henry has let out of prison for the occasion, and their three sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John. Of course, much of the conversation and thought will center around Henry's successor to the throne. Henry makes it clear that he wants the youngest son, John, to be the next king, while Eleanor wants the oldest, Richard. Henry has also promised the young Prince of France, Philip, that Alais, Philip's sister, will marry Richard but he also promises Alais she can remain his mistress.
In another room the three sons are already gibing about who will be king, soon joined by their mother, and then by Henry and Alais. Henry then turns the discussion to the matter on everyone's mind: "Well—what shall we hang? The holly or each other?" Richard insists that he become king because he is the oldest and the most capable. John is sure he will inherit the throne because he is his father's choice. And Geoffrey, the middle son, feels unappreciated, with no chance at all of the throne. Then the sons and Alais depart, leaving Henry and Eleanor alone.
Much of the remainder of the play is filled with the duplicitous machinations of the various members of the family. At various times Henry courts each son, hoping to advance his agenda through lies and manipulation. Eleanor does the same. At times it is difficult to tell who wants what and what is the truth.
The three sons do the same thing, pairing up with each other in various combinations, hoping to get the help of the others. John and Geoffrey at one point even plan a war, with King Philip's help, to overthrow the plans of Richard and Eleanor and take the kingdom from Henry. At another juncture, Henry insists that Eleanor sign papers giving the Aquitaine, a valuable piece of land in France, to John, virtually guaranteeing his ascension to the throne. Eleanor, however, rebuffs his requests, and the two, once again, are at a stalemate. At one time, even Geoffrey tries to make an alliance with Philip, in his own grab for the throne.
Finally, Henry concocts one final scheme. He has his three sons locked in the wine cellar and plans to send Eleanor back to prison. Then he will go to Rome, force the pope to annul their wedding, and marry Alais.
She can then give him more sons, including a new king. Alais says, however, she can't marry him if the sons are left alive and a danger to her in the future; but Henry refuses to kill his offspring. Eleanor takes daggers to the boys in the dungeon, urging them to run, perhaps killing their father. However, they can't act either, unwilling to harm their father.
In the end, everything is as it was in the beginning. Eleanor is headed back to prison, the three princes are still squabbling over who shall be king, Alais is caught in the middle, and Henry still has no clear successor.
Audition Notice
The Lion in Winter by James Goldman
Company/Venue: Wimberley Players, Wimberley Playhouse, 450 Old Kyle Rd., Wimberley, 78676
Production Dates: Nov. 9th- Dec. 2nd 2018, Fri/Sat curtain at 7:30, Sun at 2:30
There will be performances Fri.-Sun. over Thanksgiving weekend.
Director: Jeremy White
Audition Dates:
Friday, August 24th at 7:00 pm at the Wimberley Playhouse
Saturday, August 25th at 3:00 pm at the Wimberley Playhouse
Callbacks will be held on Thursday ,August 30thfrom 7pm-10:00 pm, at the Wimberley Playhouse located at 450 Old Kyle Road, Wimberley TX 78676
Process: 1st round – actors they will be asked to read from the script.
Callbacks – Group readings, sides will be provided.
Please schedule a reserved audition time slot by emailing the address below and bring a headshot and resume. Callbacks will be by invitation only. Not all potential cast members will be called back.
For information and to schedule audition, please email auditions@wimberleyplayers.org
The dialog is modern speech.
Characters:
HENRY II – Male, 50. A powerful soldier, political leader, and one of the last kings of England to wield absolute power. He is at the precipice of the last few years of his life and not ready to deal with the thought of his own mortality. He gets a certain joy from tormenting his family and outwitting his opponents. From the play: “He is enjoying that final rush of physical and mental vigor that comes to some men not before the end by just before the start of the decline.”
ALAIS (pronounced Alice) – Female, 20s. Sister of King Philip of France, Henry’s lover. She is caught in between the volatile nature of Henry’s family and the political needs of the region and her home country.
JOHN – Male, 16. The youngest son of Henry, poor John is neither strong like his brother Richard nor smart like Geoffrey and Eleanor. “Sweet-faced and totally adorable.”
GEOFFRY – Male, 25 “Attractive, charming, and owner of the best brain in the family.” He is the most cunning of the brothers, but also the most-oft overlooked, underestimated, and unappreciated of the three.
RICHARD LIONHEART- Male, 26. The eldest and most famous of the brothers. A fierce warrior and military leader, he is gruff and looks every bit the soldier and legend.
ELEANOR – 61, but looks younger than her age, Female. Wife of Henry, queen of England and former queen of France, mother of the three boys. Politically shrewd with a razor sharp wit. “She is a truly handsome woman of great temperament, authority and presence. She has been a queen of international importance for forty-six years and you know it…a genuinely feminine woman thoroughly capable of holding her own in a man’s world.”
PHILIP - Male, 20s. The young King of France. A newcomer to the political arena, Philip is a quick study and has a quicker wit, able to stand toe-to-toe with the more formidable Henry. “He is tall, well-proportioned and handsome without being pretty. His manner is open, direct and simple and he smiles easily.”
[image from Allen Theatre, Allen, Texas, via Goldstar Events]
