Abilene, July – Great Plains Theatre presents The Lion in Winter, the semi-historical tale of the true fight for the English throne. Larger than life historical characters Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry II battle it out during Christmas to see which of their favored sons will take the crown. Performances are currently running until the 22nd.

The cast of The Lion in Winter has many familiar faces to GPT’s audience, including our own Education Director Margaret Clair as the powerful and conniving Eleanor. With Paul Gregory Nelson, last seen as Willie Conklin in Ragtime, playing Henry; Matthew Aaron, most recently King Arthur in Camelot, as Richard the Lionheart, Mitchell Aiello, who played Smee in Peter and the Starcatcher, as Geoffrey; and Abilene’s own Jackson Welsh as the youngest brother John, this royal family is a force to be reckoned with.

No English historical dramady would be complete without the French and The Lion in Winteris no exception! Matthew Blake Johnson, playing King Philip, and Fiona McIntyre, playing Alais Capet, round out the cast and use their own wit and tenacity to make plots of their own!

The drama unfolds over Christmas at a castle in Chinon, France, in the year 1183. While historians don’t truly know where Henry kept Eleanor during her imprisonment, records do show he would bring her out at holidays or incredibly important court affairs. The events chronicled in The Lion in Winter may not actually have happened on one of those visits, but with how Henry and Eleanor fought, on the battlefield and off, it’s not beyond belief!

If you like plots, intrigue, and just a little attempted murder, you will not want to miss The Lion in Winter! Tickets are available online at greatplainstheatre.com, or via phone at 785.263.4574, or at the box office at 401 Cottage Avenue in Abilene.