THE WINTER'S TALE. To 27 January.
London.
THE WINTER’S TALE
by William Shakespeare.
Courtyard Theatre 40 Pitfield Street N1 6EU. To 27 January 2008.
Mon-Sat 7.30pm.
Runs 3hr One interval.
TICKETS: 0870 163 0717.
Review: Timothy Ramsden 5 January.
Courtyard and country field in thought-provoking production.
Director Phil Wilmott opens with Act 4’s rural revels, having itinerant pedlar Autolycus entertain the crowd with Shakespeare’s story so far, He writes King Leontes’ son Mamillius out of the action, muffling the impact of his death.
The listeners here are part of the story they’re listening to. If Autolycus’s “sad tale” is meant to be a ‘real-life’ adventure surely recognition would dawn, at least on the Shepherds. It can’t be common, even in outer Bohemia, to find a dead courtier and a baby with treasure-chest. There’s also no progress from the early acts’ darkness towards these revels.
Yet Wilmott’s rearrangement is intriguing. Leontes’ sudden suspicion his wife and best friend are having an affair usually seems inexplicable. Here, it’s part of Auolycus’s story, and anything might happen in a pedlar’s story.
Which leads to the realisation Leontes is jealous because he’s jealous. It’s as natural as Jaques’ melancholy: his ‘humour’, the way he’s ‘programmed’, awaiting a trigger to detonate his potentially explosive make-up. Usually this is hidden because we expect logic, especially in a play’s early scenes.
Sitting between his pregnant wife Hermione and best friend Polixenes, seeing them mildly flirting across him, no wonder such a person becomes enraged. Gwilym Lloyd displays an innate obsession, ratcheting his fury as he articulates it. He clearly believes he’s no tyrant, seeing only the injustice done to him.
Neatly staged in the round (or the rectangle) with a single audience row behind the onstage listeners, the production has a share of acting that’s merely tolerable or competent. But precise points are made. Happiness drains from Natasha Seale’s Hermione in disgrace; her innocent eyes wander or look down during the trial as Leontes’ stares intensely.
Ursula Mohan's Paulina mixes her accustomed confidence with a new fear when defending Hermione, and has a kindness that sustains her 16-year reconciliation strategy. Richard Gofton’s Antigonus darts to pick up the baby he’s been reluctant to take and kill when Leontes threatens its more immediate death.
Intelligently conceived, Wilmott’s production provokes insights into a play where the fantastic mingles with humanity, bringing both loss and gain.
Florizel: Mathew Judd.
Perdita: Amber Tibbitts.
Old Shepherd: Robert Donald.
Young Shepherd: Andrew Venning.
Servant/Emilia: Fiona Watson.
Autolycus: Phil Sealey.
Mopsa/1st Lady: Sarah Feathers.
Dorcus/2nd Lady: Hannah Harvey.
Time/Archidamus/Antigones (17,23,26 Jan): Brian Withstandley.
Leontes: Gwilym Lloyd.
Polixenes: Simon de Deney.
Hermione: Natasha Seale.
Camillo: Matthew Ward.
Cleomenes: Jonathon Hooley.
Dion: Marcus Hawk.
Antigonus: Richard Gofton.
Paulina: Ursula Mohan.
Nursemaid: Rose McPhilemy.
Director: Phil Wilmott.
Designer: Nicky Bunch.
Lighting: Hansjorg Schmidt.
Music: Julian Neaves.
Associate director: Mel Hillyard.
Assistant director: Catherine Kelly.
Costume associate: Fiona Parker.
2008-01-06 21:51:09