Tony nominee Alfred Molina and much-lauded Wit star Kathleen Chalfant are King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitane in James Goldman's The Lion in Winter, playing Dec. 12-16 for L.A. Theatre Works' live radio series. Rosalind Ayres directs.

Molina, a Tony nominee and Drama Desk winner for Art, was recently featured in the films "Frida," "Chocolat," "Boogie Nights" and "Dudley Do-Right." Having swept nearly every Off-Broadway Award for her turn as the cancer-stricken professor in Wit, Chalfant went on to play the role in Los Angeles, garnering an Ovation. She was nominated for a Tony as Hannah Pitt in Angels in America.

Joining them in the cast are Samantha Mathis ("Rules of Attraction," "American Psycho," "Avalon") as Princess Alais, Lars Carlson and Ragtime's Steven Sutcliffe.

Set at Christmastime in 1183, The Lion in Winter dissects the court of Henry II of England as the monarch nears his death. In a time when there were no laws of inheritance, Henry's sons battle for the throne, as Henry and his strong-willed wife, Eleanor spar over whom they each believe should reign. Goldman won an Oscar for the screenplay of "The Lion in Winter."

Tickets are $36-$40. Skirball Cultural Center is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. For reservations, call (310) 827-0889. All TheatreWorks theatre productions are recorded for future broadcast on public radio, on XM Satellite Radio and are sold on the L.A. Theatre Works homepage at http://www.latw.org. In the past 14 years, productions have won several awards including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Gold and Silver Awards, three Sony Awards, the Writer's Guild of America's Best Comedy Award and the 1999 Audie Award for Best Dramatic Production from the Audio Publishers Association. Their recording of The Prisoner of Second Avenue, featuring Richard Dreyfuss and Mason, was recently nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Comedy Album.

— By Christine Ehren