CurtainUp
The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
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CurtainUp The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
Annotated Listings |
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A CurtainUp Review
The Winter's Tale
By Carles Wright
The first half of the Cheek by Jowl production proceeds with such intensity and vigor that a spectator may be surprised to discover how much time has passed when the house lights come up for the mid-performance break. After the intermission, though, this Winter's Tale struggles woefully, at least until the final scene, in its attempt to complement what has gone before. The plot of The Winter's Tale, like that of Othello, concerns a husband's unfounded suspicions. Leontes, King of Sicilia (Orlando James), suspects his queen, Hermione (Natalie Radmall-Quirke), of infidelity. Though he has no grounds for his accusations, Leontes concludes that she's having a love affair with his lifelong friend, Polixenes, King of Bohemia (Edward Sayer). Leontes' jealousy poisons his world view. He denounces Hermione to his court and declares that the fetus she's carrying is Polixenes' child. Hermione's denials and impassioned self-defense don't sway him at all. Even the Delphic Oracle's proclamation of Hermione's innocence fails to alter his view. The first three acts are not only dark but tragic. After giving birth prematurely to a princess, Hermione dies (or so it seems); and a cascade of grievous events follows: Leontes exiles his newborn daughter; the prepubescent prince (Tom Cawte) dies, Polixenes and Leontes' valued advisor, Camillo (David Carr), flee for their lives. But, unlike in Othello, the catastrophic effect of the protagonist's jealousy doesn't end the play. What makes the first half of this production exciting is Orlando James' relentlessly energetic take on Leontes. James balances his character's creepy irrationality with abundant charm. His performance toggles between honeyed exchanges with Hermione and Polixenes and jaundiced asides that amount to an unsettling stream of consciousness. The result is a charismatic sort of lunacy that makes an unappealing Shakespearean character curiously attractive. Donnellan has directed the scenes in Sicilia — and especially the scenes involving James, Radmall-Quirke, and Sayer — with studied anti-naturalism. In the most interesting sequences, James acts out Leontes' bitter fantasies in a blue glow provided by lighting designer Judith Greenwood. While his friend, wife, and son are frozen in tableau, the actor rearranges their bodies as though handling playdough, demonstrating to the audience the erotic betrayals the king imagines. (This isn't as lurid as it sounds.) It's a vivid depiction of Leontes' fevered mind and misguided imagination. The second half of the play, set largely in Bohemia where Polixenes reigns, takes a pastoral as well as comedic turn. This section follows the destiny of Perdita, the baby (now young woman) born prematurely to Hermione and exiled by Leontes. There's much that's engaging in this part of the Cheek by Jowl production; but Donnellan and his cast never muster the momentum of what precedes the intermission and an extended parody of reality television misfires spectacularly. When the action returns to Sicilia, James plays the repentant Leontes as serenely resigned, devoid of the agitation that powered his earlier scenes. And, of course, Radmall-Quirke's Hermione is absent. Well, Radmall-Quirk isn't entirely absent — but this point requires a spoiler alert for those who don't already know the play. The final moments of The Winter's Tale include a hairpin turn of plot that balance Shakespeare's themes of separation, loss, and death with reunion, reclamation, and rebirth. The concluding scene, picturesquely staged by Donnellan and played with panache by the entire cast, regains the intensity and excitement that were mislaid over the intermission. |
Search CurtainUp in the box below PRODUCTION NOTES The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare Director: Declan Donnellan Cast: Grace Andrews (Emilia/Time); Joseph Black (Cleomenes); David Carr (Camillo); Tom Cawte (Mamillius); Ryan Donaldson (Autolycus); Guy Hughes (Dion/Live Music Supervisor); Orlando James (Leontes); Sam McArdle (Young Shepherd); Eleanor McLoughlin (Perdita); Peter Moreton (Old Shepherd/Antigonus); Natalie Radmall-Quirke (Hermione/Dorcas); Joy Richardson (Paulina/Mopsa); Edward Sayer (Polixenes); Sam Woolf (Florizel) Design: Nick Ormerod Lighting: Judith Greenwood Composer & Sound Designer: Paddy Cunneen Running Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes, with one intermission Presented by Cheek by Jowl Brooklyn Academy of Music, Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton Street, Brooklyn >From 12/6/16; closing 12/11/16 Reviewed by Charles Wright at December 7th press performance< REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
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