Darryl Maximilian Robinson Made Some Regional Theatre History Playing King Henry II in James Goldman's "The Lion In Winter" and Sir Thomas More in Robert Bolt's "A Man For All Seasons" On Stage in St. Louis!

OH GOD...HOW HE DID LOVE BEING KING!: Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago Founder, Artistic Director, Producer and Joseph Jefferson Citation Award-winning Principal Actor DARRYL MAXIMILIAN ROBINSON as KING HENRY II OF ENGLAND and talented young actor PHILLIP ALEXIS WATT as PRINCE JOHN starred in the 1992-1993 EXCALIBER PRODUCTIONS, LTD. OF CHICAGO non-Equity, multiracial cast revival of JAMES GOLDMAN'S "THE LION IN WINTER" at THE WABASH TRIANGLE CAFE in St. Louis, Missouri. Here are the two actors as they appeared on the cover of the Jan. 1993 St. Louis Edition of INTERMISSION MAGAZINE. Photo by CARL VALLE.

  

African-American Stage Actor And Play Director Darryl Maximilian Robinson Made Some Regional Theatre History When He Played King Henry II in James Goldman's The Lion In Winter and Sir Thomas More in Robert Bolt's A Man For All Seasons On Stage in St. Louis!

"It is a rare occasion when I am genuinely moved by a theatrical production. I am often delighted or intrigued, but rarely moved. I was moved when I heard Richard Harris' final speech in "Camelot," and when I saw Sir Lawrence Olivier last year as King Lear. But Thursday night I was moved by a slightly lesser known actor. Darryl Robinson truly moved me in his role as Sir Thomas More, hero of "A Man For All Seasons"...Robinson's strong stage presence and command of Bolt's words, and John Grassilli's direction combined to produce a character so realistic and inspiring that I was left with the feeling I had just been through a religious experience." -- Steve Givens, 'A Man For All Seasons' a success, Theatre Review, The UMSL Current, Nov. 1, 1984.

In the fall of 1984, while serving as a Guest Professional Director and Instructor for The University Players of The University of Missouri-St.Louis-UMSL, skilled, AEA veteran actor and Theatre Project Company of St. Louis Member John Grassilli needed a strong dramatic actor that could handle the rich, lush language of Robert Bolt's greatest script and the leading role of Sir Thomas More for his revival staging of A Man For All Seasons. During his audition process, the actor who met the demands of the role, the actor who proved best suited for the part, was a then 23-year-old, African-American, classically-trained, professional stage performer named Darryl Maximilian Robinson ( a Chicago native who just appeared earlier in the year as a Guest Professional Actor playing the title role in Director Dr. James Barushok's revival staging of Shakespeare's Othello with The Stageplayers of Northeastern Illinois University of Chicago, who had just completed a second full season of critically-praised professional summer stock performances at The Enchanted Hills Playhouse of Syracuse, Indiana, and who currently was touring under a theatre-for-young-audiences contract with The MUNY / Student Theatre Project Company based at The Theatre of The New City School in the Central West End of St. Louis ). Call it grit, call it guts, call it nerve, CALL IT COURAGE, but Director Grassilli chose to put talent and skill above of the issue of race, and he cast Robinson as the first documented African-American professional stage performer in the role of Sir Thomas More in Robert Bolt's A Man For All Seasons.
 
The rest is UMSL Theatre History.

      

Theatre Ad of The University Players / Theatre Division production of Robert Bolt's "A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS" listing Darryl Maximilian Robinson as Sir Thomas More courtesy of www.umsl.edu.org.

There have been numerous highly-effective and successful stage and screen renderings of James Goldman's most acclaimed stage play The Lion In Winter mounted around the U.S. and Europe during the last five decades. One that might be of interest is Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago Founder and Joseph Jefferson Citation Award-winning Principal Actor Darryl Maximilian Robinson's 1992 non-Equity professional, multiracial cast rendition of the work presented under the banner of Excaliber Productions, Ltd. of Chicago at the intimate and lively Wabash Triangle Cafe in St. Louis, Missouri. Mr. Robinson ( critically-praised for his 1984 St. Louis stage performances as Sir Thomas More in Director John Grassilli's staging of Robert Bolt's A Man For All Seasons at The University of Missouri-St. Louis' UMSL Benton Hall Theatre and as The Cowardly Lion in The Theatre Project Company's traditional musical version of The Wizard of Oz staged by Director Deborah Lynn Wickes at The New City School ) directed and starred as King Henry II opposite a talented and racially-diverse cast that included Anna Altman and Deborah Phillips alternating in the role of Queen Eleanor, Carey S. Means ( a future popular animated film voice-over performer ) and Albert Stephens alternating in the role of Prince Richard the Lionheart, Patrick B. Hensler as Prince Geoffrey, Phillip Alexis Watt as Prince John, Louis A. Wells as King Phillip of France and Anjula Chan ( who skillfully designed the 12th-century costumes ) as Princess Alais. Of all of his creative and artistic endeavors during his five years of producing, directing and performing plays for audiences under the Excaliber banner in The Gateway City, Darryl Maximilian Robinson considers his work ( as an actor and director ) in James Goldman's The Lion In Winter a true career highlight!

A KING'S CHOICE: Thursday November 26, 1992 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH News Photo of DARRYL MAXIMILIAN ROBINSON as KING HENRY II and PHILIP WATT as his son ( PRINCE JOHN ) in a scene from JAMES GOLDMAN'S "THE LION IN WINTER" by CARL VALLE.

Nov. 1, 1984 UMSL CURRENT Theatre Review by STEVE GIVENS of The University Players' revival production of Robert Bolt's acclaimed play "A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS" at The Benton Hall Theatre of The University of Missouri-St. Louis courtesy of www.umsl.edu.org.

                                      

Logo of THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS ( UMSL ).

"Excaliber Production's presentation of James Goldman's The Lion In Winter comes through without a hitch at The Wabash Triangle Café in University City. Though the play ran a bit long, the cast did quite well, with a few minor exceptions. Darryl Maximilian Robinson's portrayal of King Henry II is a balanced and finely measured combination of greed, deceit and compassion...Darryl Maximilian Robinson's staging and direction ( he is the founder and mainstay of this troupe ) work cleanly through an excellent script. I favor the simple set design of black wooden thrones and benches; it allows the actors to do their work without getting in the way. It's an entertaining show overall, one I'd recommend seeing." -- Mark Hamilton, Intermission Magazine, St. Louis Edition, Jan. 1993.




https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0063953/otherworks?ref_=nm_pdt_wrk_sm
 
http://www.abouttheartists.com/productions/100326-the-lion-in-winter-at-the-wabash-triangle-cafe-1992-1993
 
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/141671632/
 
https://www.umsl.edu/~libweb/university-archives/Student%20Newspaper
/Current,%201984-1986/1984/October%2018,%201984.pdf

https://www.umsl.edu/library/university-archives/Student%20Newspaper/Current,%201984-1986/1984/November%201,%201984.pdf
 
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004122/otherworks
 
http://www.abouttheartists.com/productions/100386-a-man-for-all-seasons-at-benton-hall-theater-105-the-university-of-missouri-st-louis-1984

Jan. 1993 INTERMISSION MAGAZINE Theatre Review of the Excaliber Productions, Ltd.'s revival production of James Goldman's "THE LION IN WINTER" by Mark Hamilton.

A SKILLED DIRECTOR TELLS HIS ACTORS WHAT HE WANTS!: Talented Actor-Director JOHN GRASSILLI ( center ) explains to young actors DARRYL MAXIMILIAN ROBINSON ( left ) as SIR THOMAS MORE and KEVIN J. POLITO ( right ) as MASTER RICHARD RICH exactly what he wants from them during a rehearsal of the 1984 UNIVERSITY PLAYERS' revival production of ROBERT BOLT'S "A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS" at The Benton Hall Theatre at THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS ( UMSL ). Feature Story by PHILLIP H. DENNIS. Photo courtesy of THE UMSL CURRENT.

The intimate WABASH TRIANGLE CAFE in St. Louis, Mo.

THE FIRST DOCUMENTED AFRICAN-AMERICAN SIR THOMAS MORE IN ROBERT BOLT'S "A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS."!: In 1984, Chicago Joseph Jefferson Citation Award-winning Best Actor, Excaliber Shakespeare Company of Chicago Founder and Los Angeles-based Theatre Artist DARRYL MAXIMILIAN ROBINSON experienced one of the most fulfilling roles of his life and his career when he became the first documented African-American theatre performer ever to play the leading role of SIR THOMAS MORE in a staging of ROBERT BOLT'S magnificent historical drama "A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS" in a fine UNIVERSITY PLAYERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS ( UMSL ) revival production at The Benton Hall Theatre under the skilled direction of veteran St. Louis stage actor and play director JOHN GRASSILLI. 2016 Photo of DARRYL MAXIMILIAN ROBINSON by J. L. WATT.