The Lion In Winter

Written in 1966 The Lion in Winter by James Goldman is set during Christmas 1183 at Henry II if England's castle in Chinon.

Flora Kerridge as Alys of Vexin had great empathy. A well worked on and rounded performance.

Graham Perkins as King Henry II gave a bold performance as the grey-bearded king of England. His commitment to the role was very evident.

Hayden Manuell as Prince John portrayed childlike reactions bringing a lot of humour to the play. Good performance.

Mike Freeman as Prince Richard was physically intimidating and hotheaded. Good diction and a strong performance.

Trystan Davies as Prince Geoffrey had an air of smarm that masked some real hurt. A strong characterisation of this role.  

Bella Kemble as Eleanor of Aquitane was superbly played and delivered the script with the right snap, crackle and pop, and suggested a devious mind at work. Excellent performance.

Joseph Thomas as King Philip of France was suitably starchy. Lovely character, good strong performance.

The concentration of all cast members and delivery of each character is a credit to each of their acting abilities.

If I have one criticism, it’s that the small table used at the start of the act 2 was to modern and did not reflect the year 1183.

The set was simple but worked very well. The costumes appear to represent the period accurately.

This was quite a brave choice of play in the current climate and I would urge you to continue to be bold in your choices and help to push boundaries in non-professional theatre.

This was a well directed and performed piece of theatre, my congratulation to everyone involved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.