“Should we start the soup with who we love and who we don’t?” –King Henry II,  The Lion in Winter

Well I returned to Hunger Artists Theatre to see The Lion in Winter, which is quite a different play from Frankenstein in Love. It was rather remarkable how different the stage looked from the rather elaborate set before, representing several locations, to the now almost bare stage; the only props were a table with chairs and a throne, with a few Christmas decorations to remind one of the season.

The premise of the play is this: It is Christmas Eve, year 1183, at King Henry II’s court, where his wife Queen Eleanor (whom King Henry has had imprisoned in a tower), and three sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John have all gathered to settle certain affairs. These affairs are who is to be the next king? Eleanor wants their eldest, Richard, while Henry wants their youngest John to take the throne. Geoffrey constantly switches sides, playing whichever one seems to (currently) be giving him the best offer. King Philip of France pays a visit, adding another twist to their strategizing, for he comes to remind Henry of a treaty he signed several years earlier, promising to have the heir of the throne to marry Philip’s sister. However, Alais has been Henry’s mistress for the past seven years so he is reluctant to give her to any of his sons.

When I read the premise of The Lion in Winter beforehand, it sounded very much like a drama–actually it brought to mind Shakespeare, and it definitely has similar elements, however it has many marvelous moments of humor. (Which is Shakespearean too–Hamlet always makes me laugh out loud at moments. Is that just me?) Although the parts that stuck with me the most were the performances of Mark Coyan and Amber Scott, who gave such life to their Henry and Eleanor, respectively. I could feel how much this couple hated yet loved each other. They wanted to cheat and deceive each other out of everything and anything, just to say they were the victor, yet they knew this about each other and loved every minute of it. I don’t think they truly cared about the outcome, but enjoyed the scheming so much. You can definitely see where their children get it from.

What is so ironic, is the main argument is whom is to become the next king, which son will get chosen, yet I felt that Henry and Eleanor cared more about themselves, obviously but also about each other than they did their sons; that their sons were mere devices and excuses to see each other, to spend time together. Theirs is a relationship that has gotten lost along the way, fallen apart so many times you wonder what’s holding them together, but when they share that stage you feel that spark, that sexual tension that’s so delightful. Truly, they steal the show, for I look forward to any scenes they share together. Scott as Eleanor was especially enchanting–she was wonderfully conniving and charming.

The script of the play itself seems so fresh, it’s rather interesting to think of it as “historical”–either because of the 12th century time period of the characters or the 1960’s of the time it was written–yet I find it remains relatable in the 21st century. Although the plot is historically based, the main themes are really family, and even royalty has dysfunctional lives (perhaps more so, since we can’t really start a war over a family tiff).

It was a nice play for the season–what better defines December than Christmas and dysfunctional family? And I remain impressed with the Hunger Artists Theatre, not only for their choices of scripts, but their stellar actors. It may be a small theatre, but certainly not small on talent. If you have a chance, see The Lion in Winter–it plays until December 20, Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 7PM, with a special performance on Thursday, December 17 at 8pm. And if you go this coming Friday or Saturday you can catch a performance of the OC Underground Burlesque Society. Now if that doesn’t say Christmas, I don’t know what does.

Photos provided by The Hunger Artists Theater Company

Although the theatre itself is small, and it’s location makes you wonder what you’re getting yourself into, once you sit down and the (bloody) curtain comes up, you realize it masks the fact that truly stellar work is done here.  The theatre is the Hunger Artists Theatre Company in Fullerton, right near CSU Fullerton. As best put by the managing director, Anthony Galleran “It was founded in 1996 by a group of longtime friends who met while studying at OCC’s repertory theatre. Our vision/mission/goal is to produce a combination of new, classical, and alternative works for the Orange County community, while fostering an environment for actors, directors, writers, and technicians to hone their craft.”

My first experience with Hunger Artists Theatre was in seeing Frankenstein in Love. El Coco, a character from the play, utters this line towards the beginning: “without Plato or heroin I’d be a lunatic.”

And that’s when I knew this was going to be quite the ride.

If I were to sum up Frankenstein in Love with a cliche it would be “expect the unexpected.” And just like clocks, even overused cliches ring true twice a day. I have to admit I went into the play expecting a love story–a slightly bizarre one seeing as Frankenstein is one of the lovers, but a love story nonetheless. Don’t get me wrong, love is an element, but really what isn’t in Clive Barker’s play? (Yes, THAT Clive Barker, the one known for his horror stories, especially the Hellraiser series. )

The story begins with Maria Reina Duran, a prostitute, erm excuse me, I mean a palm reader who just happens to get paid for bringing pleasure to her clients, telling us she is already dead, a ghost telling us what happened to lead up to her death, and also what happened after, for even after her death she is a part of this post-apocalyptic world. It all takes place in a fictional Central American country, run by the dictator, President Perez, but is currently in the process of being overthrown by guerilla forces, the leader of them being Cesar Guerrero, aka El Coco. While hunting down Perez, El Coco and his faithful goon, Cockatoo, discover an underground lab run by none other than Dr. Frankenstein whom they learn has been performing experiments on humans.

Where is the love story, you ask? (As I’m sure you are because I was. Well actually a lot of questions were running through my brain while watching.) There is actually a love triangle between Dr. Frankenstein, El Coco, and Veronique, Frankenstein’s creation.

But before we get to that, we are treated to a very multi-layered, intense story involving life and death, (of course), along with politics, sexuality, cannibalism as well as a little cross-dressing. Think Rocky Horror, but a lot more serious, no music, and less camp. Well, a bit campy, but all the best things are. As the director, Andrew Vonderscmitt said “you have to be crazy to stage this.” And I for one, love me a little crazy. Vonderscmitt also loved the fact that the play had so many possibilities, and that it’s very different from anything else out there.

What truly held all the craziness for me was the acting–it was superb. You were pulled into their world immediately, coming up for a breath during the 15 minute intermission while you tried to wrap your head around everything you’ve seen and heard, to dive right back into the second act. These actors are all professional, having acted in many other productions prior, and they loved this script so much, that they donated their time, forgoing a paycheck to get to work on it. That’s passion and commitment to one’s craft. And as I said, you could see that in their performances–because this play has so many elements, and often out-there ideas, that the wrong cast could have completely ruined it! Instead Barker’s work was raised up by their and Vonderschmitt’s dedication, to do the play justice.

Frankenstein in Love isn’t a play for everyone, but that’s not a bad thing–it’s not trying to appeal to everyone and instead is a fascinating thing to feast your eyes on–it’s visually graphic, literally and figuratively, but it also makes you think, makes you question, makes you pause afterward. It will haunt you with its image of a hell on earth–you best be a firewalker if you dare to proceed.

photos courtesy of Hunger Artist Theater