THE WINTER'S TALE To 28 November.

Tour.

THE WINTER’S TALE
by William Shakespeare.

Nuffield Theatre Southampton and Schtanhaus in association with Headlong Theatre Tour to 28 November.

Nuffield Theatre Southampton until 26th September
then tour to 28 November 2009.
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat 26 Sept 3pm.
Audio-described/BSL Signed 24 Sept.
Runs 2hr 50min One interval.

TICKETS: 023 8067 1771.
www.nuffieldtheatre.co.uk (Southampton).
Review: Mark Courtice 15 September 2009.

Cold comfort.
Sicilian King Leontes accuses his wife and best friend of betrayal, setting in train a story of jealousy, rupture, and shocking death. It's only from a remote village in the country ruled over by said best friend, Bohemia, that faith, reconciliation and the healing power of time will come to put things right.

With a 16-year gap covered by the interval, the famous stage direction "…exit, pursued by a bear", and a statue that comes to life, this play's a challenge to production teams.

Simon Godwin's vision of this is dour. The physical world is austere, emotions dangerous, and Leontes' constant touching of son Mamillius more than a little creepy. It’s an effectively created place of tragedy. However, the countryside offers little respite; its inhabitants are either venal or thick. Autolycus sets the tone here, played as a toff gone bad; his constant cozening of the yokels is cruel rather than fun.

The production avoids almost all the challenges - for instance, the only bear’s a teddy. Designer Miriam Nabarro sets isolated bits of furniture on a terrazzo tiled floor – fine for Sicilia, but adding a string of lights doesn’t do enough to create a Bohemian contrast with Leontes' withered world. Literal-minded lighting by James Farncombe eschews subtlety and adds bright, hard edges. Costumes are Thirties formal, distressed in the case of Autolycus; one is left wondering what a hint of the world of Mussolini adds to our understanding of the characters.

Golda Rosheuvel grasps the opportunities as Paulina and endows her with wisdom and energy. Poor Bryony Hannah as Perdita, helped neither by her frumpy Oxfam summer frock, nor her leading man, doesn't manage the exciting breath of fresh air she should be. While the men are always going to pale in comparison to some of the best women's parts in Shakespeare this lot seem particularly ineffectual.

With a small cast (the country shearing party and the court both feel very empty) and bare set, feeling under-rehearsed and under-considered, this production’s lack of resources stops it getting further than the dark to reach the magic of this extraordinary play.

Polixenes /A Mariner James Buller.
Camillo / Officer of the Court Matthew Douglas.
Mamillius / Emelia / Perdita Byrony Hannah.
Antigonus / Autolycus John Hodgkinson.
A Lord / Young Shepherd Gwynfor Jones.
A Lord / Florizel Ferdinand Kingsley.
Leontes Vince Leigh.
Paulina / Time / Old Shepherdess Golda Rosheuvel.
Hermione / Pastoral Servant Amanda Ryan.

Director: Simon Godwin.
Designer: Miriam Nabarro.
Lighting: James Farncombe.

2009-09-19 07:56:46