By Mark Downie
William Shakespeare: My perception is that his work is usually reserved for school studies and rarely read by the masses outside a classroom. So how great it is to dip a toe in some literary, cultural waters and experience the Bard's work brought up to date in such an enjoyable and 'easily consumed' way.
For complete Luddites Shakespearian language can be tough to follow initially, so I spent the opening scene getting to grips with an unfamiliar tongue, though ably assisted by the great visual direction and action on stage. I shall not repeat a synopsis here, suffice to say the first act is set in Sicilia; the realm of King Leontes, an austere and somewhat foreboding, threatening place that reflects the character of the King. This is cleverly and sharply contrasted in the majority of the second act when the action moves to the much more jovial and colourful shores of Bohemia.
The theatre has been modified with the removal of several rows of front seats, allowing the stage and the performance upon it to extend into, and connect with, the audience. Clever narrow-beam spotlighting is used very effectively to empathise with the changing moods throughout the performance; most notably in the courtroom scene in the first act. From where I was positioned the smoke from the incense burner appeared to engulf the King as it billowed upward, giving a surreal symbolism to his fury and decline into tyranny. An added bonus of course was the smell of incense that filled the auditorium, reminiscent of being in a dark and sombre church - adding a certain gravitas to the entire scene. Clever stuff!
Shakespeare gives all his main characters a fair crack of the whip in terms of dialogue, and the 9-strong cast of 'A Winter's Tale' delivered a faultless and professional performance. One or two deserve to be singled out for special mention; the main leads Hermione (Amanda Ryan) and Leontes (Vince Leigh) for their compelling performances during the trial scene which for me was the highlight of the first act.
The second act was stolen by the comedic character Autolycus (played by John Hodgkinson) whose pick-pocketing skills and drunken exploits were entertaining to the extreme. His target, the witless young shepherd (Gwynfor Jones) adorned in a bobble hat (reminiscent of that of Benny from 'Crossroads') made great work of the bumbling oaf who was subject to Autolycus's pranks.
The most notable and consistent performance for me, however, was that of Golda Rosheuval as Paulina who captivated the audience whenever she set foot on stage. With the exception of the male lead, all actors play dual roles in this play and all managed to add a convincing depth to each of them; a credit to the direction of Simon Godwin. The contrasts brought to the roles of Paulina and then the Shepherdess by Golda were however, simply outstanding.
Shakespeare always delivers complex intertwined plots and subplots, with a good dash of comedy and double entendre for good measure. So the adage that his plays contain 'something for everyone' is no less true today as it was originally. This is one of the more palatable of his works, being a clever mix of tragedy, comedy, romance and fantasy. It has been dusted off and given a renewed freshness by this adaptation and if this is the first Shakespeare play you are about to witness, you can't go far wrong. I found it compulsive viewing from start to finish and a great evening of professional theatre.