The Lion in Winter

Posted on by Thor

CFC Arts presents The Lion in Winter written by James Goldman. The play depicted the personal and political conflicts of King Henry II (David Lowe) his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, (Robin Olson) their children and their guests during Christmas 1183. Eleanor was imprisoned since 1173 but now she was home for the holidays. The gamesmanship between Eleanor and the king was such a delight to watch. Though they were always at odds there was a long standing deep rooted affection between them.

The story concerns the gamesmanship between Henry, his wife Eleanor, their three surviving sons Richard (Chris Fahmie), Geoffrey (Landon St. Gordon), and John (Jake Teixeira), and their Christmas Court guest, the King of France, Philip II (Cole Nesmith). Alais (Ashleigh-Ann Gardner) was Philip’s half-sister, who was at court since she was betrothed to Richard at age eight, but had since become Henry’s mistress. The king had many mistresses and many bastard sons.

King Henry needed an heir and Eleanor favored Richard who  seemed the most likely candidate since he was a much a war hawk as his father. He was easily the strongest and toughest of the three sons. Despite this, Henry favored his youngest, rather spoiled son John.  All three sons were just pawns in Henry and Elanor’s ceaseless scheming against one another.

Eleanor tended to dominate every scene she was in. She had a fiery temperament, and great authority and presence. Intellectually she seemed to run circles around the domineering Henry. Since all three sons seemed unworthy of being king, the fair Alais rose in the kings eyes as the possible mother of future heirs. Facing the possibility of being queen, she had to make demands and do battle with the tempestuous king. She didn’t seem as much up to the task as Eleanor.

The bottom line is that this play was an absolute delight. Alliances and enemies pivoted on a dime. Battles were as much over family love and acceptance as power and kingdoms.

The final performances are:

Sunday, February 2 – 3:00

Monday, February 3 – 7:30pm (Discount Night)

Tickets are:

$25 Premium Seating (Includes seating in the first 3 rows of the theatre and a complimentary concession item)

$18 Standard Reserved Seatin

$15 Discount Night (All Seats)

 

12 Angry Jurors

Posted on by Thor

Having sketched a dress rehearsal for 12 Angry Jurors based on 12 Angry Men written by Reginald Rose I decided to also sketch on opening night. The jury box was reserved for audience members who wanted these front row seats. I decided I wanted to sketch the jury box and the cast, so I sat where media once sat during trials of the past. Behind the jury box, a small stage was set up for photographers and presumably court artists.

For this performance I knew when members of the jury would change seats so it gave me an advantage to catch each member of the cast in my sketch. Again the jury had to deliberate about the fate of a youth who was being tried for the murder of his father. When the jurors first entered they immediately took a vote with 11 votes of guilty and 1 vote not guilty. Elaitheia Quinn gave a strong performance as juror 8 who had doubts about the prosecutions case. She was seen as a bleeding heart liberal by Juror 3 (Rich Somsky) he got so angry at her reasoning and doubts that he could have punched her had others not stopped him.

Director Robin Olson did an amazing job casting this show. The show was set in the 1970s and the costuming reflected that time period. These were no longer just 12 angry men but an evenly split 6 men and 6 women. Each jurors age and cultural background brought a fresh perspective to the facts as presented in the trial. For instance when discussing how a switch blade is used juror 5 (Scott Browning) came from a disadvantaged neighborhood and had witnessed a knife fight in his back yard.

An added layer of drama came because I was seated next to the History Museum’s chief curator, Pam Schwartz who is in charge of preserving this courtroom which is considered an delicate artifact from Orlando’s past. The courtroom had been lovingly restored after a fire in the past. Some fire damage could still be seen on the floor. When a cup of water spilled on the table during jury deliberations she cringed. Elaitheia quickly mopped it up with tissues incorporating that into the natural flow of the show. When juror 3 punched the wall Pam cringed again. These jurors were so angry, they just might start throwing chairs, but it never went that far. After the show she inspected the table to be sure there was no damage.

Every juror was on edge. Anger bubbled over and they fought bitterly with the youths life in the balance. Racism and bigotry surfaced in Juror 10 (Rose Lamarre) and the rest of the jurors drew away from her as she spit out her monologue of hatred. Our president is embracing hatred and racism as the foundation of his campaign in 2020 making this show incredibly resonant. Thunder rumbled and ran pelted the courthouse. Outside the pavement was wet.

This is a great show in a great space with an important message. Don’t miss it.

12 Angry Jurors

The Orange County Regional History Center 65 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801.

Remaining show dates:

Saturday,  August 3 – 7:30pm 

Sunday,    August 4 – 3:00pm 

Thursday, August 8 – 7:30pm 

Friday,     August 9 – 7:30pm 

Saturday, August 10 – 7:30pm 

Sunday,   August 11 – 3:00pm

Tickets are $20 General Admission and $40 for Jury Box Seats. 

Dickens by Candlelight

Posted on by Thor

On December 14th I went to a dress rehearsal for Dickens by Candlelight at The Cross (1300 Brookhaven Drive Orlando FL). The Cross is in Ivanhoe Village and it is in a neighborhood of warehouses. When I arrived it was dark so I waited under a street lamp out front. After maybe ten minutes I saw a Prius pull into the parking lot next to the building and Terry Olson popped out and quickly rushed behind the building like the white rabbit. I followed, but when I rounded the corner he was gone. There was a small glass door at the back of the building and through it I could see a woman in turn of the century period dress. I entered the dark room.

John DiDonna who plays Scrooge had informed me about the rehearsal. Monica Long Tamborello and Robin Olson  played just about every other character in the Dickens tale, The Christmas Carol. This is the 16th anniversary year that Dickens By Candlelight has been performed in Orlando. Robin Olson who first wrote this adaptation is returning to the cast this year. Producer Kenneth Ingraham gave me tips on where I might catch the action in my sketch. Fewer people showed up than expected, and he suggested I sit closer but I was already committed to this sketch.

The warehouse doubles as a church and it turned out that the rehearsal was being staged for parishioners to thank them for letting the space be used for rehearsals.  Ben Hoyer and his family were the first to arrive. Ben is the founder of Credo Coffee Shop and he helped acquire this space for church use. As people arrived, the cast made their way back stage behind barn-like sliding doors. A bare branch was suspended from the ceiling with delicate golden ornaments hanging from it. Each table in the room had a red candle and tiny bells. At one point in the production everyone was encouraged to ring the bells then stop on cue.

The tale cleverly envelops the audience as the characters move through
and around the guests who are seated at treat-laden tables.  The three talented Orlando
actors, portray all of the roles and artfully transform themselves from
character to character and stave to stave.  The best way to witness
visits from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and  Future is while
enjoying homemade cookies and a pot of freshly-brewed hot  tea.   Since there have been so many film adaptations of Dickens Christmas Carol, I expected to feel jaded. But the cast kept the story engaging and suspenseful. John DiDonna did an amazing job portraying Scrooges greed and then joyful redemption.

When it came time for the ghostly visits, the room was only illuminated by the flickering candles. Scrooge shouted in terror when the huge metal garage door rattled by forces unseen.  I suspect Terry Olson must have been outside rattling the doors on cue but the effect was ghostly and unnerving. This subtle use of sound and candlelight held more dramatic terror than any of today’s special effects laden films. This is theater’s magic as people gather together in a dark room to share a tale. Children huddled close in their parents arms. The costume changes were quick and numerous with every word save one having come from Dickens pen. Audience members became part of the action as they joined the cast in holiday celebrations.

I highly recommend this show to ring in your holiday season. Shows will be in the Patron’s Room at the Orlando Shakespeare Center (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL). Tickets are $35 with group rates available.

Wednesday December 18, 8pm

Thursday December 19, 8pm

Friday December 20, 8pm

Saturday December 21 4pm and 8pm 

Sunday December 22, 4pm and 8pm

Monday December 23, 8pm