Ian Buchanan and Mariette Hartley
photo by Michael Lamont
I have always loved James Goldman’s play The Lion in Winter. I think of it as a Medieval Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf but with a larger cast of nastier characters who could harm you not only with their verbal knives and swords but with real ones. The show requires a truly dynamic duo of actors to play the always scheming, always plotting, one-upmanship, love/hate relationship between the magisterial King Henry II of England and his amazing Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. The current production at The Colony Theatre in Burbank truly has that duo in Ian Buchanan and Mariette Hartley. Buchanan struts the stage with the spritely step of a man half his age, which at 50 in 1183 made him the oldest man he knew. He rants and raves, he bellows and cries, he loves and he hates with unbridled passion. It’s a monumental performance. Hartley takes a quieter approach but she has the devil in her eyes, her smile, her touch. She has some of the most caustic and shocking lines of the play and she delivers them with panache to spare.
Director Stephanie Vlahos keeps a tight rein on her cast; they act large but never over the top. Their emotions are real and true. Strong support is given by Brendan Ford as the young, sexually ambiguous warrior Richard (the Lionheart) who feels he deserves to be anointed the next king even though his father has other plans. Paul David Story, as the 17 year old King Philip of France and one time lover of Richard’s, does a lovely job of showing his growth in bargaining and conniving in just a few short hours in the presence of the masters of the game. Justine Hartley, Doug Plaut and Paul Turbiak complete the family portrait. David Potts columned scenic design easily converts to various castle rooms with a tapestry there, some holly here, a bed there, a Christmas tree here. Jared A. Sayeg’s lighting gives the action a candlelit feeling and Kate Bergh’s period costumes are colorful and functional.
The Colony Theatre, 555 N Third St in Burbank. Ends May 18. 818-558-7000 or www.colonytheatre.org