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The Winters Tale (The RSC Shakespeare)

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Hicks uses his long, lean body to great effect and when he says his wife, Hermione, is "slippery" or a "bed-swerver", he displays a lascivious delight in the sound which is clearly the product of a diseased imagination. He is superbly partnered by Kelly Hunter, whose Hermione shows fire and dignity in her trial even though forced to appear in blood-streaked post-natal robes.

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Noma Dumezweni's Paulina is also a feisty piece of work who gives Leontes a suitable ear-bashing. Sure-footed in Sicilia, the production goes a bit berserk in Bohemia.

Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale

Antigonus, instead of exiting pursued by a bear, sacrifices himself to a monster-puppet. And there is something a bit strenuous about the rustic revelry. The floor, in Jon Bausor's design, is smothered with the leaves of upturned books.


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The sheep-shearing and ballad-singing also resemble a Cecil Sharp country house party, with the musicians playing quaintly authentic instruments. And although Brian Doherty holds things together as Autolycus, my heart sank when a satyrs' dance was performed by more book-swathed forms with aubergines between their legs.

Theatre review: The Winter's Tale, Courtyard, Stratford-upon-Avon | Culture | The Guardian

But the play itself works because it appeals to mankind's hunger for resurrection myths. Shakespeare translated into Punjabi over 20 years. Young actress breaks leg on stage. For reasons that escape me, the stage is now dominated by a huge rusting metal tower.

The Winter’s Tale

Is it a sewerage outlet, a signifier of Victorian industrialisation or a gigantic phallic symbol? Perhaps it is all of these, but it is ugly and distracting.

There are some fine performances , though. Tara Fitzgerald plays his cruelly abused wife with warmth and emotional candour, and the final scene of reunion and forgiveness is heart-catchingly staged.

RSC Staging History 1960-2007

Nevertheless I found myself longing for more matter with less art, and with a running time of three-and-a quarter hours, this production does indeed feel like a long hard winter. Accessibility links Skip to article Skip to navigation. Tuesday 18 December