Tag Archives: Falcon Theatre

Henry: What shall we hang? The holly, or each other?
Eleanor: How dear of you to let me out of jail!
Henry: It’s only for the holidays.

Who knew that dungeons, daggers, duplicity, and deception could be so much fun? 

Cast: Greg Mallios, Clay Winstead, Tracy M. Schoster, Jared Earland, Allen R. Middleton, Lexi Rigsby & Dan Robertson. Photo by Claudia Hershner.

It’s all part of THE LION IN WINTER, James Goldman’s deliciously wicked accounting of the love-hate travails between England’s King Henry II and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and the accompanying power struggle to name the next heir to the English throne. Comedic in tone, darkly dramatic in action, and filled to overflowing with Goldman’s razor-sharp wit and dialogue, the play has been an audience favorite for more than fifty years. 

And it’s coming to the stage at Falcon Theatre. The production is the fourth of Falcon’s 2018-19 season, opening March 22. 

Eleanor has been imprisoned for ten years, after raising an army against her husband Henry.  But with Henry throwing a Christmas feast for the newly crowned King Philip II of France, the Plantagenets need to appear a happy family. Just for the occasion, Henry has released Eleanor from prison. Also in attendance are Henry’s three sons, each of whom is jockeying for position to be the named heir. The squabbling, backstabbing, and plotting that occurs among the brothers and the dangerous cat-and-mouse game played between Henry and Eleanor form the action of the story. 

The actual historical events portrayed in the play take place in 1183, but Falcon director Tara Williams has moved the setting to modern times, all the way to 2019, in fact. 

“The story may have taken place in the Middle Ages, but the major themes of the the piece, such as sibling rivalry, aging, death, ambition, and inheritance among royals, are as relevant now as they have ever been,” Ms. Williams says. “Royals today might be more outwardly civil to one another, and the scheming might be less bloody, but I suspect that the motivations and certainly the stakes haven’t lessened a bit since medieval times.” 

The Falcon production features Allen R. Middleton as Henry, Tracy M. Schoster as Eleanor, Greg Mallios as Richard, Jared Earland as Geoffrey, Clay Winstead as John, Lexi Rigsby as Alais, and Dan Robertson as Philip. 

Dee Anne Bryll, Darryl Hilton, Keith Holland, Phineas Clark & James Troup. Photo by Kristy Rucker.

Falcon Theatre’s first production of 2019 is Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s THE EXONERATED, the true stories of six people who collectively spent more than fifty years on death row for crimes they did not commit. The production opens January 25, 2019.

In the form of a series of courtroom scenes and first-person monologues, THE EXONERATED pulls from, among others, the real-life case of Gary, a Midwestern organic farmer condemned for the murder of his own parents but later exonerated when two motorcycle-gang members confess to the crime. The audience hears from David, a shy man with aspirations to the ministry who at age eighteen was bullied into confessing to a robbery/murder he did not commit who now, a man scarred from a youth spent in prison, is struggling to regain his faith.

Far from being an indictment of our criminal justice system that, when it goes wrong, can quickly swallow and dispose of innocents, the play reveals with touching affection and even disarming humor the resilience of the human spirit.

Backstage says that THE EXONERATED is “extremely moving, and regardless of your political leanings, these stories will touch your heart.” The New York Times says that “…years after its New York premiere, (the play) still has the power to unsettle.”

Falcon’s production is directed by Paul Morris. The cast includes Darryl Hilton, Dee Anne Bryll, James Troup, Keith Holland, Brian Griffin, Phineas Clark, Joy Rolland-Oba, Karson McCall, Kelly Hale, and Nathan Tubbs.

Performance dates are January 25, 26, 31, and February 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9. Tickets prices are $25 for adults and $15 for students with ID. Patrons enjoy a $5 discount for Thursday performances. Visit falcontheater.net for tickets.

Falcon Theatre is located at 636 Monmouth Street in the heart of the Monmouth Street Historic District of Newport, Kentucky.