by James Goldman, Directed by Scott Albert Bennett
It is Christmas in England AD 1183, and the King of France, Philip II Augustus, is at the court of Henry II. Henry has let his wife Eleanor out of prison, but only for the holidays, and with the fate of Henry's empire at stake, everybody engages in their own brand of deception and treachery to stake their claim.
A delightful blend of both the comedic and the dramatic, we follow the personal and political conflicts of King Henry II, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their three surviving sons Richard, Geoffrey and John, and Philip's half-sister Alais, betrothed to Richard at age eight, but now Henry's mistress. As Eleanor says, "Every family has its ups and downs," and this royal family is no exception.
