The Winter’s Tale

The Winter’s Tale is the first play to be directed by Georgie Wood and she most certainly managed to meet the challenge of this piece of Shakespeare. More over this production was done in a town not unfamiliar with the works of the Bard – one Straford – Upon- Avon.

A company of thirteen fulfilled the roles of twenty-one named parts plus other roles within the ensemble. Each of the company had their own strengths. What came over was a determination to stage this challenging piece of theatre in a relatively small setting.

The set was minimal to say the least however it was effective and as always with this company the lighting worked well especially when we see Hermione as a statue.

Justin Osborne as Leontes gave a commanding performance with a good command of the number of lines to be learnt. His portrayal was of a person with PTSD (Post -Traumatic Stress Disorder) following World War two. We witnessed a range of emotions and behaviours as he wronged his wife Hermione played by Deborah Williams. Both the parts of Hermione and Paulina, played by Stephanie Jepson, were strong in characterisation and both actors ensured every word could be heard.

There were many other good performances in this production. Kate Sutcliffe as Shepherd and Joshua Gallagher as Autolycus who formed part of the audience looking on the proceedings were well-acted and with enthusiasm.  There were some tender moments between Florizel played by Conor Gray and Perdita played by Jessica Gilkes. Steve Bayman as Polixenes worked well with Caroline Whitfield as Camillo.   

The costumes and hair designs were in keeping with the periods when the play was set especially the hippy 1960’s ones. The actors during act two were convincing in the stereotypical interpretation of this time.

The music between scenes and particularly the live music on stage was fitting, in keeping with the setting and well chosen.

Clearly ‘The Winter’s Tale’ is wordy and the dialogue may be alien to us today. Therefore, even more important than normal to ensure good diction, clarity and projection. Where these were in place they were impressive and done well. The staging itself was well directed making the most of the simplistic setting. On a couple of occasions, the sound effects were just slightly loud to fully hear the dialogue. 

Opening night as far as I could see went without too many first night hitches. A couple of prompts, the odd occasion when it would appear a few lines may have gone astray and a couple of costume malfunctions but otherwise an evening the company should have been pleased with.

Once again Second Thoughts showed themselves to be a group able to perform a wide range of drama and I most certainly look forward to a new piece of work – Into the Silence by Noel Dollimore in November. 

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