Altarena Playhouse

Covering The San Francisco Bay Area & Sacramento Valley Since 2001

Altarena Playhouse • 1409 High Street, Alameda, CA 94501

Plays • Musicals • Opera • Dance

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Current Production

• OCT 23 - NOV 22, 2026 •

The Lion in Winter / Drama, Comedy

For Tickets & Info:

Christmas at the royal court of England is supposed to be a season of celebration, but King Henry II and his famously formidable family have other plans. Set in 1183, James Goldman's The Lion in Winter invites audiences into a medieval household where affection is complicated, loyalty is negotiable, and the question of who will inherit the throne threatens to ruin everyone's holiday. Henry wants to secure his kingdom's future, but his estranged wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, has ambitions of her own. Temporarily released from imprisonment to join the Christmas gathering, Eleanor arrives armed with a remarkable talent for turning family disagreements into political warfare. Their three surviving sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John, each have reasons to believe the crown belongs on his head. Meanwhile, the young King Philip II of France has interests that make the situation even more unpredictable. As alliances shift and old resentments resurface, the royal residence becomes a battlefield of razor-sharp insults, calculated maneuvering, and surprisingly intimate conversations. Blending historical drama with wickedly intelligent humor, The Lion in Winter transforms a medieval succession crisis into a deliciously entertaining family reunion where everyone wants something and nobody intends to surrender gracefully.

Coming Soon

• OPENS DECEMBER 12, 2026 • Brian Copeland: The Jewelry Box / One-Man Play, Holiday Comedy The Lion in Winter, written by James Goldman, is a live theatre play in the genre of historical drama with sharp comedic edges woven through its dialogue. Set in the twelfth century during a tense royal holiday gathering, the story follows King Henry II as he brings together his estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their three ambitious sons, and a pair of unexpected guests. Everyone arrives with a smile that hides a scheme, and the castle quickly turns into a battlefield of words, rivalries, and shifting loyalties. The play draws its power not from sword fights or sweeping battles, but from razor sharp conversations where every remark hints at a deeper motive. Henry tries to secure his legacy, Eleanor guards her pride and influence, and their sons fight for attention in a family that treats affection like a rare luxury. Political maneuvering blends with personal wounds, creating a story that feels intimate and grand at the same time. The tension builds through witty exchanges, simmering resentment, and clever manipulation, inviting the audience into a royal household where love is complicated, trust is fragile, and every choice carries the weight of a kingdom.
• OPENS JANUARY 22, 2027 • Looped / Comedy, Drama Hollywood has witnessed countless legendary performances, but few recording sessions could rival the spectacularly chaotic afternoon awaiting actress Tallulah Bankhead. In Matthew Lombardo's Looped, the year is 1965, and the famously outspoken stage and screen star arrives at a Los Angeles recording studio to correct a single troublesome line from her final film, Die, Die My Darling. The assignment sounds absurdly simple. Record the dialogue, satisfy the film's technical requirements, and go home. Unfortunately, Tallulah Bankhead has never been particularly interested in making life simple for anyone, especially people who expect her to follow instructions. What should take approximately eight minutes becomes an increasingly outrageous battle between a larger-than-life celebrity and a film editor desperately attempting to finish his work. Armed with a sharp tongue, outrageous stories, and an impressive disregard for conventional behavior, Bankhead transforms the recording booth into her personal theatrical kingdom. Yet beneath the laughter and verbal fireworks lies a more complicated woman confronting the realities of fame, aging, and personal disappointment. Inspired by an actual recording session, Looped combines wicked humor with unexpected emotional depth, offering an entertaining portrait of a Hollywood original whose personality was every bit as unforgettable as her performances.