Court Theatre turns ‘The Lion in Winter’ into heady hybrid of thrills, drama and occasional laughs

England’s King Henry II (John Hoogenakker) is romancing Alais Capet (Netta Walker) when his queen, Eleanor (Rebecca Spence, background), returns from prison in “The Lion in Winter.” (Michael Brosilow)

Tolstoy famously wrote that every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Singular though each fraught family is, few are as entertaining as the 12th century tribe of British royals at the ruthless, provocative and wickedly funny heart of playwright James Goldman’s 1966 play “The Lion in Winter.”

Just in time for the holidays, director Ron OJ Parson shapes a Christmas Eve-set battle royale for Court Theatre. Alternately epic and intimate, “The Lion in Winter” is a Christmas story unlike any other.