Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

"The Winter's Tale" is arguably one of William Shakespeare's most puzzling plays to classify because of its diverse elements. Some scholars have referred to it as a "problem play," and John Dryden even had the impudence to dub it one of the Bard's "failed plays." But for most Shakespeare fans, the blending of bucolic pleasantries, courtly intrigue, smatterings of humor, lively music, folksy dance and a fairy tale ending (along with the playwright's way with words) make seeing it a promising enterprise. Polonius most likely would have described the mélange to Hamlet as "tragic-pastoral-comic-not entirely tragic-romantic."

The Hipgnosis Theater Company has embraced the challenge of putting it all together in a lively manner at The Gallery Theater by utilizing the faithful as well as innovative direction of John Castro, original music composed by Luke Mitchell-presented with the aid of three additional musicians, and a wonderfully dedicated cast (including sixth-grader Guthrie Brunk-London).

The play begins in seemingly refined Sicilia, where its king Leontes (John Kevin Jones) and his very pregnant Queen Hermione (Sarah Sokolovic) have been entertaining Leontes' childhood friend and king of the pastoral land of Bohemia, Polixenes (Julian A. Rozzell, Jr.), who plans to return home. At Leontes' bidding, Hermione convinces Polixenes to stay, resulting in the Sicilia king becoming possessed by an irrational jealousy. He accuses his wife of adultery and his friend of being the father of her expected child. Polixenes does, indeed, leave this time; the queen is put on trial and unjustly found guilty. The baby is born, a girl later named Perdita, and is sent off ala the Oedipus infant. (Tragic results ensue: body count of three or maybe just two.) Leontes repents.

As the play progresses, the action switches to the idyllic Bohemia for young lovers, a royal parent unhappy about those young lovers, music, dance, important plot development and some comic shtick. Soon (but not soon enough for this viewer) everybody is back in Sicilia to experience the fulfillment of the prophecy read earlier at Hermonie's trial: ". . . the king shall live without an heir, if that which is lost be not found."

Among the numerous fine performances of which there are far too many to mention here, several--particularly for their dramatic importance to the play-stand out for me: Sarah Sokolovic as the accused queen brought me close to tears; John Kevin Jones' intensity as Leontes rendered him a man to be appalled by and later to pity; Sara Barker's Paulina with her passionate loyalty to the Queen and her persistent audaciousness to the king; and Rachel Tiemann as Emilia in her whirlwind explanation of what had happened sixteen years previous.

An additionally interesting aspect of this production is how the director and designers utilize this large space, The Gallery Theater, with the help of just a few set pieces, lots of rose petal- shaped colored paper, white curtains, a storied-platform, moveable seats and imaginative staging to create the different worlds and moods of the play.

Theatergoer Warning: Enjoying Hipgnosis' "The Winter's Tale" does take a bit of endurance-it runs close to three hours and you must walk up to the 4th floor of the Access Theater Building, but it may be well worth it as you will experience many moments of dramatic delight.