The Winter's Tale

Synopsis

'Pray you, sit by us, and tell's a tale. Merry or sad shall't be? As merry as you will. A sad tale's best for winter.' A tale of passion, jealousy, fantasy and fairytale, the play charts the transition from winter to spring, tragedy to comedy, and revenge to romance. It is the story of high adventure where an angry King falsely accuses and discards his family to his later regret

Our Review:

17 December 2010

Even the heavens were on the RSC’s side; a sprinkling of snow falling from the London sky was a perfect accompaniment to the opening night.

And what a chilly place Sicily is in David Farr’s fascinating production. The play is usually seen as a domestic tragedy; the very personal story of Leontes and the loss of his son and supposed loss of his wife and daughter.

But there’s another dimension here: Sicily is presented as a well-ordered state, a reflection of Leontes’ cold reserve. And Kelly Hunter’s dutiful Hermione sees herself almost as an adjunct to her husband in, fatefully for her, pleading for Polixenes to stay. The stability of the marriage is tied up with the stability of governance; when one collapses, so does the other – quite literally in this case. What Farr does is to tie Leontes' despair and rejection with that of Perdita's abandonment – while the baby is left to the very real elements, Leontes feels the cold me...

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