Review: Lakeside Community Theatre's ASHES OF AQUITAINE challenges our notions of freedom, love and political power
Ashes of Aquitaine
Run Time: 2 hours 30 minutes with intermission
Accessible Seating: Available
Hearing Devices: Not available
Sensory Friendly Performance: Not available
Production Sound Level: Comfortable Volume
Noises or Visuals to Prepare for: N/A
Reviewed by Bradford Reilly
Set 6 years after the first family reunion political succession drama The Lion in Winter by James
Goldman, Lakeside Community Theatre offers us a sequel family reunion political succession drama in a brand new work. However, instead of using The Lion in Winter as a direct prologue to the show, playwrights Rusty Harding and Leigh Wyatt Moore go back to historic record. Ashes of Aquitaine begins with Queen Eleanor (played by Leigh Wyatt Moore) in prison. She is summoned to audience with King Henry II of England (played by Robert San Juan) to help him settle his affairs while at the precipice of death. Why is Queen Eleanor in prison? For supporting a revolt against her husband, of course. And Henry offers Eleanor freedom for her help. Eleanor must play her cards right.
Coming to the family reunion includes Prince John (Jayden Matthews), Prince Richard (Stephen Hyatt), Eleanor’s sister Petra (Kathleen Vaught), and Henry’s mistress—and fiancée to Prince John—Lady Alais (Hannah Burns)—pronounced like Alice. Also present are Father Alban (Anthony Magee), Lady Alais’ lovesick guardian William Talvas (Logan Gaconnier), and lady servant Kat (Karina Barrett).
Who is to receive the kingdom after King Henry II? Prince John—called "Lackland" because he has no land—is well-known in England proper while Prince Richard—clearly Eleanor’s favorite son--has spent most of his life in France. Yet, Jayden Matthews’ Prince John is a complete brat. A drunkard, a revolting womanizer, who feels entitled to birthright but has no political prowess of his own. In fact, this characterization of Prince John is believable as the man who would inspire the need for the Magna Carta to strip power from the monarchy. Meanwhile, Stephen Hyatt’s Prince Richard is serious, shrewd, cunning, and shows he can wield power with command, a clear contender for king—if it weren’t for him not being in his father’s good graces.
To Henry, no son of his is worthy, and Robert San Juan’s Henry is reluctant to give away the power he’s had most of his life. But death knocks. San Juan’s Henry, with the deep boom and cadence of Lawrence Olivier, is unserious, often laughing away discomfort and the mere idea of death. It is that un-seriousness that is central to this Henry’s charm.
The playwrights structure the play around audiences with the King, who wants a legacy beloved by those close to him (including the wife he’s imprisoned for 16 years). Therefore, the dying Henry offers many promises. The play’s action builds upon the king’s promises and the question over whether those promises can be kept once the king dies.
For a play that focuses on patriarchal politics (in the most classic sense of the phrase), the driving force is Eleanor of Aquitaine. She struggles for freedom and manages the changeover of an era. For her, the play becomes a game of cards getting the right son in place to secure her own prosperity and freedom. Eleanor must hold her cards to her chest. Leigh Wyatt Moore does so very well where it matters. Her banter cuts. And Moore’s chemistry with San Juan is heart-wrenching, where even though they’ve had a tumultuous relationship riddled with rebellion, they hold the utmost respect for each other. Despite the current mistress (whom Henry has much affection for) and many other adulterous affairs, Eleanor will always be his wife.
Alais was often alone and struggling for her own means to have control of her station. Even though she was Henry’s mistress, when she took audience with Henry, Hannah Burns’ Alais would accept Henry’s advances, but reacted with recoil. Perhaps, a relationship devolved into convenience for her, doing what she could to stay in the king’s good graces. If it weren’t for Robert San Juan’s charming portrayal, the ick factor in the scene would have been overwhelming in how Henry pursued the much younger Alais.
Kathleen Vaught’s Petra fought to appeal to each character’s humanity with great comedic timing. Petra offers an equalizing force outside of the royal titles, serving as both servant and family. She helps the almighty men eat their humble pie and creates common ground among the women trying to protect their power. For Eleanor, Petra is unpresumptuous, unconditional love from a time in her life that was simpler, but was, as Eleanor describes as a “bleak fairyland.” Her sister is comfort amid the chaos: the death of one era and the change into the next.
WARNING: the play does include themes of sexual assault. As a play about power, affection, assault, and all the colors in between become tools to attain power, especially among the men in the play. It cannot be stressed enough that, dramaturgically speaking, medieval England was a man’s world and the women were merely living in it. Women grabbed onto power where they could, but often sexual assault was used against them.
How the play examines women in relation to power was fascinating to watch. Women in this political era are playing cards, and have to play the right card at the right time. Twice in the play, all of the women—Eleanor, Petra, Alais, and Kat—were onstage with each other, and neither time did they say a word to each other—except for inaudible reaction ad libs. Yet, in a game of cards—what is there to say to each other? Even when someone is on your team, table talk isn’t allowed.
The central questions the play offers are resonant to today—what does freedom mean? How does love, or lack of love galvanize political power? How can two MARRIED political adversaries find respect for each other? How can you find grounding in an era of chaos and change? I invite you to explore these ideas and see what Lakeside Community Theatre has to offer in the Colony.
There is one weekend left to see Ashes of Aquitaine, continuing through 12/21/2024.
Sincerely,
Bradford Reilly
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