“Aquitaine Lioness” - a performance of the Lenkom Theater, the premiere of which the audience could see in October 2011. He still enjoys success and causes a storm of conflicting emotions.
“Lion in winter”
That is the name of the play by James Goldman, a playwright from the USA, on the basis of which the performance of Lenkom was staged. In the 60s, she successfully went to Broadway theaters.
The play “The Lion in Winter” is a drama dedicated to the clash of seemingly close people who set their own ambitions above family values.
Its action takes place in the distant 12th century in the family of the English king Heinrich the Second Plantagenet, more precisely, in his castle Shannon, where the royal family gathered.
The aging monarch, deciding to declare an official heir, summoned his adult sons to the castle and even returned from prison his wife Alienora of Aquitaine, whom he himself sent into exile. Alienora - a personality no less outstanding than her imperious and cruel husband - was considered one of the brightest stars among the famous women of the Middle Ages and was a great master of weaving intricate intrigues.
The head of the family is confident in his abilities and is not afraid of the machinations of enemies, or the machinations of Satan, or God's wrath. None but his own wife, whom the people gave the nickname Aquitaine lioness.
The situation is complicated by the fact that the young king of France Philippe seeks to start a war. To weaken Henry, he wants to pit the princes, and also enlist the support of his sister Alice. A girl at the age of 8 was sent to Britain as the bride of the English Dauphin. However, the elderly Henry, who sent his wife into exile, made the young princess his mistress. This situation does not suit Alice at all, who, however, is not going to play by the rules of her stepbrother.
Adaptations of the play of James Goldman
Based on the play “The Lion in Winter”, two films were shot. In 1968, English director Anthony Harvey directed a historical drama with Peter O'Toole and Catherine Hepburn in the lead roles. In 1969, this film received an Oscar in several categories at once:
- For Best Actress - Katherine Hepburn;
- for the best music - John Barry;
- for the best screenplay - James Goldman.
In 2003, the play “The Lion in Winter” was filmed by director Andrei Konchalovsky. Alienor was played by Glenn Close, and Henry II was played by Patrick Stewart. In addition, this picture made it possible for a foreign audience to get acquainted with the game of Julia Vysotskaya, who acted as a French princess.
Thus, the plot of the play is quite well-known, and not only to fans of theatrical art, but also to the ordinary audience.
Lioness worthy of a lion
The repertoire of Lenkom has many productions stylized for a particular historical era. The play “Aquitaine Lioness” also belongs to them. It was timed to the anniversary of actress Inna Mikhailovna Churikova, apparently because of this the name of the play was changed.
The film director Gleb Panfilov, invited to the production, slightly shifted the emphasis to more clearly and fully show the image of Alienora of Aquitaine. Thus, an uncommon, strong woman appears before the viewer, selflessly protecting her children, but not wanting to know their thoughts. A woman who, at the age of sixty, loves and desires her king so much that in horror of this passion she covers love with hatred.
Henry Lenkom
However, the vivid image of the frantic Aquitaine lioness did not push her husband into the background. The king in the play continues to be a key figure - the lion and the lioness are worthy of each other.
Conceived as a performance benefit, the performance Aquitaine Lioness (Lenkom) is not perceived as such. This is really the drama of two prominent personalities whose love-hate gave birth to monster children. And the lion cubs turned out to be worse and more dangerous than their crowned parents.
Gleb Panfilov did not change the plot of the play in a different way, although some scenes disappeared from it, and the French king Philip became a secondary character.
Performance Features
There are many controversial moments in the play that have become the subject of criticism. So, the production, stylized as the Middle Ages, nevertheless abounds with innovations, sometimes quite dubious. In the play “Aquitaine Lioness” there are nudity and bed scenes, and indeed the “bed theme” is often heard. But this is far from always justified by the plot.
Live medieval music, pleasing the audience and organically perceived in the context of historical drama, is sometimes replaced by rap with dubious lyrics and profanity.
In some scenes, the action turns into grotesque, or even thrash. Gestures and intonations become exaggerated, and the crowned couple, exchanging kicks and slaps, causes bewilderment.
At the same time, any performance, as you know, is done by actors, and they are talented and magnificent in this production.
Aquitaine Lioness: actors
Inna Churikova in the role of Alienora of Aquitaine is truly majestic and, as the audience noted, resembles the matured Joan of Arc. But Dmitry Pevtsov, who played the role of Heinrich Plantagenet, is in no way inferior to the famous actress. Moreover, many critics and journalists emphasize that he not only perfectly coped with his tragic role, but was also very convincing and made the viewer believe in the reality of his hero.
The sons of Henry and Alienora are played by the young actors of Lenkom: the strong and powerful Richard - Sergey Piotrovsky; the cunning, dodgy and cynical Jeffery is Dmitry Gizbreht, and the weak John is Igor Konyakhin.
Alexandra Volkova plays the role of the French princess Ellis in the play, and the role of King Philip was played by Anton Sorokin.
Aquitaine Lioness: reviews
The viewer's impressions of the performance remain rather controversial. In particular, among the reviews you can find both enthusiastic and frankly negative. And almost all, without exception, viewers like the game of Dmitry Pevtsov and his stage skills. Even those who openly resent the director’s “innovations” are enthusiastic about him. As for the game of Inna Mikhailovna Churikova in the play “Aquitaine Lioness,” viewers and journalists are more restrained in their statements. At the same time, they note that the actress, as always, is on top, and the wife of Henry the Second in her performance is really regal and unusually feminine, despite her age.
Once in Moscow, be sure to visit the Lenkom Theater. “Aquitaine Lioness” is one of the relatively new but popular performances of this theater. You can enjoy the game of your favorite actors, and if you saw one or even both of the film adaptations, compare the images they created with the works of world cinema stars Glenn Close, Catherine Hepburn, Patrick Stewart and Peter O'Toole.