Putting the 'dis' in 'dysfunctional"
Last night I went to see my friend in a performance of “The Lion in Winter”. It was funny as hell. It’s about as based on actual events as the film adaptation of Lawnmower Man is based on Stephen King’s short story of the same name; but it’s still funny as hell. King Henry II and his wife Eleanor of Acquitaine spent Christmas with their three sons. And Henry’s current mistress (this is Henry II - sooner or later, there will be a mistress). Oh, and did I mention that Eleanor was let out of prison for the holidays? Other than that, it’s fairly standard fare: kids come home for the holidays, family resentments brew, much pissing and bitching commences. Some of the best lines:
Henry: Shall we hang the holly, or each other?
Eleanor: We all have knives! It’s 1183!!
Geoffrey (to John): If you’re a prince, there’s hope for every ape in Africa!!
John: I went up in flames, there’s not a living soul who’d pee on me to put the fire out!
Richard: Let’s strike a flint and see…
The performers playing Henry and Eleanor did a spectacular job. Now I kind of want to see the 1968 movie, with Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor and Peter O’Toole as Henry.
This does put my own memories of less-than-fond family gatherings into perspective. I’ll have to put this DVD on my shelf next to Home for the Holidays.
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