The Starkville Community Theatre will be presenting James Goldman’s “The Lion in Winter” at the playhouse on Main Street.
The play is directed by Paula Mabry, a longtime Starkville High School theater instructor and director of last year’s “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” and the award-winning “Dead Line Dawn.”
“The Lion in Winter,” which was named one of the top 10 plays of 1966 and 1967 and earned James Goldman an Oscar nomination for his 1968 film adaptation, is a fictionalized telling of King Henry II’s selection of an heir among his three sons: John, Geoffrey and Richard. The play is written in a modern vernacular; however, the “thee’s” and “thou’s” of Shakespearean English is absent. Deception, treachery and adultery are in abundance and make for an intriguing plot.
“The challenge of the play is that it was a period piece.” Mabry said. “The costuming and trimmings have been a challenge.” The cast and crew have faced these challenges for several weeks.
“We started about six weeks ago,” Mabry said.
With that month and a half of rehearsals behind them, the cast, which contains a few MSU faces, said they look forward to their time in the spotlight.
“I love it,” MSU graduate Chris Tyler said. “I enjoy being on stage and being in front of people. I enjoy playing different characters and being someone else. Tyer plays the role of Richard the Lionheart. He is a veteran to theater, with experience both onstage as a professional actor at Middletown, Va.,’s Wayside Theatre and offstage as a director at Stagedoor Manor Theatre Camp in Lock Sheldrak, N.Y., as well as Starkville Academy.
Business management major Ben Lang said he enjoys acting because of the imitation aspect of the art.
“I like the way you’re imitating different perspectives of life,” he said. “In theater, you get to live a continuous two hours in a character’s life, whereas in film or television it’s broken up.” Lang is experienced in acting for both the camera and the stage, having appeared in “ER,” “Cold Case,” “The West Wing” and “The Guardian” in addition to his experience in Southern Miss and Northwestern University theater productions. He described his character John as a snotty nosed brat and spoiled drunkard.
Tyer and Lang are only a part of the group of Staters involved in the play.
“There’s a huge local MSU angle,” assistant director Clyde Williams said. Williams taught English at Mississippi State until his retirement in June 2004.
Other Mississippi State students, graduates and employees involved include Lyle Tate, a 1999 graduate and veteran of 21 Starkville Community Theatre productions, who portrays King Philip of France; and Marcus Vowell, who took on eight major roles in university productions before receiving his bachelor’s degree in theater. Vowell portrays King Henry.
Natalie Kern, who plays the French Princess Alais, is a newcomer to Starkville but is no stranger to the spotlight, having performed in more than 50 productions, including professional roles at the Actors’ Theatre of Louisville. Kern now works in the technical services department of Mitchell Memorial Library.
The cast also includes Starkville High School graduate and seasoned professional director and actor Christopher Walrath as middle son Geoffrey. Marsha Williams, charter member of Starkville Community Theatre and Mississippi Theatre Association award winner joins the cast as Eleanor, Henry’s wife.
“It’s a good, solid cast,” Mabry said, “very talented with lots of experience. The public will like [the play.]”
Performances will take place Nov. 10-13 and 15-19 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee performance Sunday. For ticket information call 323-6855.