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Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
It's one of Shakespeare's so-called ‘problem plays,' but in the hands of the Stratford company it's a must-see production
The Winter's Tale 4 stars (out of 4) By William Shakespeare, directed by Antoni Cimolino. Until Sept. 27 at the Tom Patterson Theatre, 111 Lakeside Dr., Stratford, Ont. or 1800-567-1600 STRATFORD — Ah, the duality of the Stratford Festival. Last Wednesday, I attended the opening of Robert Lepage's highly anticipated 'Macbeth' revival, which turned out to feature some of the year's most disappointing performances. Then, on Friday, only two days later, I watched much of that same ensemble from 'Macbeth' deliver one of the best acted Shakespeare productions I have ever seen at Stratford, in director Antoni Cimolino's 'The Winter's Tale,' the first play to open this season at the Tom Patterson Theatre. Those two shows could not be more different. Whereas Lepage's 'Scottish play' is defined by its high-concept directorial treatment, Cimolino's 'Winter's Tale' is marked by the absence of one, with a staging that places complete trust in the material and in the skill of its cast. The result: an exemplary production that should be a must-see for any Shakespeare lover. 'The Winter's Tale' is a curious work, often considered to be one of the Bard's so-called 'problem plays.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Its first half unfolds like a psychological tragedy: King Leontes of Sicily (Graham Abbey), wracked with jealousy and paranoia, falsely accuses his pregnant wife Hermione (Sara Topham) of having an affair with his best friend, Polixenes (André Sills), the King of Bohemia. When his plot to murder Polixenes is foiled, Leontes' wrath is soon directed at his wife. He imprisons Hermione and orders Lord Antigonus (David Collins) to leave her newborn girl to perish in the wilderness. However, as if by an act of divine retribution, Leontes' son, Mamillius (Philip Myers), suddenly dies. So does Hermione, stricken by grief. Only then does Leontes recognize his folly — that his wife and Polixenes were innocent, and that Hermione's baby was his all along. Graham Abbey as Leontes with members of the company in 'The Winter's Tale.' David Hou/Stratford Festival The first three acts of 'The Winter's Tale' are unforgiving. It seems only inevitable that Shakespeare shall condemn Leontes to the same tragic fate that meets so many of his other flawed protagonists. But that doesn't happen here. After intermission, Leontes' court gives way to rural Bohemia. Some 16 years have passed and we learn that the King's daughter Perdita (Marissa Orjalo) didn't die, but was instead saved and raised by a pair of shepherds (the amusing duo of Tom McCamus and Christo Graham). Shakespeare's tragedy soon transforms into a pastoral comedy, then into a romance that concludes with a happy ending. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW At its heart, 'The Winter's Tale' is a story about redemption, forgiveness and our ability, with time, to evolve. The play's shifts in tone may come across as erratic, but they only serve to mirror its themes. Change can come when we least expect it. A tragic ending — for both Leontes and for this play — is not inevitable. And there's ultimately much beauty, and hope, in that. Cimolino's revival handles these tonal changes seamlessly. Yet this isn't achieved by dulling the comedy nor the tragedy. The humour in this production is hearty and plentiful, while the play's darkest scenes are rendered with their brutality fully intact. Rather, the success of Cimolino's staging lies in its simplicity and impeccable pacing. Douglas Paraschuk's nimble set mostly consists of a number of white blocks. The costumes, by Francesca Callow, are of the period, and easily distinguish between Leontes' court and the carefree countryside of rural Bohemia. These design elements effectively serve the story, but never overshadow it. Members of the company in 'The Winter's Tale.' David Hou/Stratford Festival Perhaps Cimolino's only major directorial intervention is his addition of a prologue and epilogue, featuring Mamillius and the character of 'Time' (a godlike Lucy Peacock), who typically only appears at the top of the fourth act with a speech to bridge the play's 16-year gap. Bookending the work with these characters, inhabiting an ethereal, heavenly realm, helps to ground the play. It reminds us that this story, with its various magical and fantastical twists, should not be interpreted literally. As Leontes, Graham Abbey delivers the standout performance of the Stratford season thus far. His Leontes trembles in his step and stammers through his speech. His paranoia is one that stems from insecurity. In the first act, especially, Abbey convincingly charts Leontes' unravelling: from suspicion to jealousy, to anger, to vengeance. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Austin Eckert as Florizel and Marissa Orjalo as Perdita in 'The Winter's Tale.' David Hou/Stratford Festival Meanwhile, Topham imbues her Hermione with a sense of dignity. (Her trial scene is bone-chilling.) As Paulina, Hermione's friend and fierce advocate, the ever formidable Yanna McIntosh delivers her lines in thunderous voice, stalking across the stage. In a spineless court of advisers unwilling to stand up to Leontes, it's she who becomes its conscience. There are exceptional performances all around. Orjalo and Austin Eckert possess wonderful chemistry as Perdita and Florizel, Polixenes' son. They're not to be outdone by Collins and Tom Rooney, equally fantastic as the king's aides, Antigonus and Camillo. And Geraint Wyn Davies brings the humour as the thief Autolycus, a shape-shifting trickster with a wry, toothy grin. After all this comedy runs its course, however, 'The Winter's Tale' concludes on a deeply solemn note, with a final scene that's tender and heartbreaking. Those unfamiliar with the play may not see it coming. But when it arrives, it's an ending that feels so absolutely right. Salvation, after all, is a wonderful thing.
Globe and Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Antoni Cimolino's well-acted Winter's Tale wrestles with oddities in Shakespeare's script
Title: The Winter's Tale Written by: William Shakespeare Performed by: Graham Abbey, Yanna McIntosh, Sara Topham, Austin Eckert, Tom McCamus, Marissa Orjalo, Tom Rooney, André Sills Director: Antoni Cimolino Company: Stratford Festival Venue: Tom Patterson Theatre City: Stratford Year: Until Sep. 27, 2025 'A sad tale's best for winter,' little Mamillius tells his mother when she asks for a story. As if spoken into existence, the events that follow are very sad indeed, with disastrous implications for Mamillius (Philip Myers on opening night of The Winter's Tale), his mother (Sara Topham) and his sister (Marissa Orjalo). When we next see the tiny prince, it's as a memory – a tiny child forever playing in a starlit afterlife. Oft-considered one of Shakespeare's 'problem plays' for its odd structure, The Winter's Tale begins with one of the Bard's more twisted psychological tests: King Leontes (a superb Graham Abbey), out of his mind with doomy rage, accuses his pregnant wife Hermione (Topham) of infidelity with King Polixenes (André Sills). When she denies the accusations, the play turns tragic: Her newborn daughter Perdita (Orjalo) is exiled to the coast of Bohemia, while the mother and her toddling son die of heartbreak. The play, so very dark in its first half, is a brooder that, for a while, rivals King Lear or Romeo and Juliet. But after intermission, the work mutates into a pastoral comedy with a decidedly light ending, and in Stratford Festival artistic director Antoni Cimolino's production, those halves never bind together in a way that makes for a satisfying story. Down the street at the Festival Theatre, Chris Abraham helms a pastoral comedy with similarly disparate acts. But in As You Like It, Abraham interrogates the relationship between the genre's form and its content in a way that feels intentional and bold; here, the fault lines in Shakespeare's dramatic structure are left to echo. Cimolino leans hard into each tonal shift – the shimmer of early childhood, the draconian gloom of Leontes's court, the Midsommar-esque merriment of Perdita's newfound clan – and often the production is enjoyable. But the momentum of the first act, led by Abbey in a tour de force performance as the tortured king, fizzles out by the time we get to know Perdita and her adoptive family. And once Perdita's surrogate father (played by Tom McCamus) steps aside for his daughter to rediscover her noble heritage, the play is all but over – an 'all's well that ends well' predicated upon, among other things, a sentient statue. Oddities in the play's dramaturgy aside, Cimolino offers a stylish, well-acted production that goes toe to toe with the heavier hitters being staged in the Avon and Festival theatres. Topham is heartbreaking as Hermione, Orjalo buoyant and jovial as Perdita. McCamus, once more this season sharing the stage with Tom Rooney, is breezy and droll as the pastoral shepherd, and Rooney is similarly amusing, clad in fabulous faux facial hair alongside Sills. Lucy Peacock, costumed in an Angels in America-style set of enormous wings, oversees the whole affair as Time, ushering the mortals in Leontes's orbit through the tribulations that accompany a long life on earth. It's perhaps Francesca Callow's costumes that shine the brightest in Cimolino's production, luminous gowns and flower crowns that suggest a happier, simpler life in the fabled land of Bohemia. A few mismatched hairpieces aside, the fashion of this production is top-notch, as airy as the springtime celebrations that open the play's second half. Other design elements, however, are less impressive. Douglas Paraschuk's sparse set sees lace doilies hung from the ceiling that raise and lower in accordance with Time's demands. There's a neat visual effect that sees the strips of fabric project interesting shadows onto the Tom Patterson Theatre stage, but the choice feels otherwise ungrounded, and strangely minimalistic against Callow's luxurious costumes. And, to address the elephant – or bear – in the room, Shakespeare's most famous stage direction is executed here somewhat disappointingly. 'Exeunt, pursued by a bear' is one of the playwright's wilder directives, and in Cimolino's production, the bear is neither an actor in a suit nor a puppet (nor even a projected beast). No: The bear, in this case, is a sound cue. In a lesser year of Stratford Festival programming, this convincingly-acted Winter's Tale would be a must-see – and indeed, die-hard Bard fans can rest assured Cimolino's production is perfectly fine. But if a dramaturgically rigorous pastoral is what you're after – or theatre tech that briefly makes you forget the constraints of live theatre – I'd suggest checking out the fest's other offerings first.
