Moline Black Box Theatre Leader Steps Into Main Role for “Lion in Winter”
The Black Box Theatre in downtown Moline is next presenting the classic play “The Lion in Winter,” running Nov. 21 to Dec. 6.
Intrigue, power, backstabbing. Those are just a few plot points in the 12th-century story, in the royal play by James Goldman, depicting the personal and political conflicts of Henry II of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their children and their guests during a pivotal Christmas.
Heading the cast is Jeremy Mahr as King Henry II along with his sons Richard (Matt Walsh), Geoffrey (Tyler Henning) and John (Jacob Lund). Joining them are Thayne Lamb as Phillip, the King of France and his sister Alais (Kassidy Holdridge). Rounding out the cast is Lora Adams as Eleanor.
The 1966 play by James Goldman premiered on Broadway on March 3, 1966, starring Robert Preston and Rosemary Harris, who won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Eleanor.
Jeremy Mahr as King Henry II of England, and Kassidy Holdridge as Alais in “The Lion in Winter,” opening Friday, Nov. 21 at Black Box Theatre in Moline.
It was adapted by Goldman into an Academy Award-winning 1968 film of the same name, starring Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn, co-starring Anthony Hopkins.
Set during Christmas 1183 at Henry II of England’s castle in Chinon, Anjou in central France, part of the Angevin Empire. It opens with the arrival of Henry’s wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, whom he has had imprisoned since 1173.
The story concerns the gamesmanship between Henry, Eleanor, their three surviving sons Richard, Geoffrey, and John, and their Christmas Court guest, the King of France, Philip II, who was the son of Eleanor’s ex-husband, Louis VII of France. Also involved is Philip’s half-sister Alais (by Louis VII’s second wife Constance), who has been at court since she was betrothed to Richard at age eight, but has since become Henry’s mistress.
Tyler Henning, left, Jacob Lund and Matt Walsh in “The Lion in Winter,” running Nov. 21-Dec. 6.
At the Black Box (1623 5th Ave., Moline), the play is directed by Noah Hill, sound design Alexander Richardson, light design Jennifer Kingry and stage managed by Erin Gehn. Adams, the Black Box co-founder, stepped into the role of Eleanor after an illness forced another actor to leave the production.
Adams also designed the set and costumes and had a stellar crew helping with the set including Michael Kopriva, Jim Driscoll, Kirsten Myers, Rori Myers, Tyler Henning, Thayne Lamb and Gryffin Myers.
“When I was thinking about a play for the holiday season, I wanted to do something with really great writing,” Adams said recently. “‘The Lion in Winter’ is a play that I have long liked and wanted to include in a season. We held our auditions back in February so this cast knew they were cast long ago.
“About six weeks ago, my actress doing Eleanor had some medical issues come up. So I contacted another actress who I asked to take over and she was already busy with other shows and suggested that I just do the role myself, to be truthful,” she added.
Kassidy Holdridge, left, Thayne Lamb, Tyler Henning, and Jacob Lund in “The Lion in Winter,” directed by Noah Hill.
“I probably let my own enthusiasm for the role color my choice because I originally was directing the show and designing and though I was taking off my director’s hat, I was adding a huge responsibility with playing Eleanor,” Adams said.
“It is a huge role, and I was lucky that Noah Hill was available to take over directing duties,” she said. “On top of that, my first director ended up with COVID and so Noah came in after the fact, but they say the show must go on and so we made it all work.”
“We do have a lovely cast and our other designers Jennifer Kingry doing lights and Alexander Richardson doing sound are just adding more layers to this incredible script,” she added.
The show opens Friday, Nov. 21 and runs for nine performances — Friday, Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. the first two weekends, and the final week will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets ($18 each) are available at theblackboxtheatre.com or at the door.
Matt Walsh, left, Jeremy Mahr, Tyler Henning and Jacob Lund in the new Black Box production of “The Lion in Winter,” opening Nov. 21, 2025.
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