A Lesser Known Play
In Act I, the aptly named “The Winter’s Tale” is so emotionally wrenching as to present the darkest aspects of humanity. It revolves around King Leontes (Michael Stejskal) and King Polixenes (Raul Alonso), who have been best friends since they were children. Leontes’ wife Queen Hermione (Andrea Uppling) is pregnant with his second child.For no apparent reason, Leontes is convinced that the child is not his but Polixenes’s. He believes that his wife and friend are secret lovers. He tries his queen for adultery, and when the girl is born, he demands that Antigonus (Fred A. Wellisch) abandons the baby in the forest.
It’s such a harsh beginning that the play must be considered a tragedy. But, wait. Act II offers a different mood with a much more optimistic and happy reversal. Sixteen years have passed since Leontes abandoned his daughter Perdita (Jennifer Agather) to her death. But she isn’t dead. She was rescued and raised by an elderly shepherd (Chuck Munro) in the Kingdom of Bohemia.
The difference between the two acts is not just apparent in the plot but in this production’s atmosphere as well. While the first act was dark and somber, the second is filled with light and color and joyous music. The second is as upbeat and happy as the first was tragic and sad. It features laughter, happiness, with some especially funny vaudevillian-style antics by Autolycus (Sam Nachison) and the Clown (Kyle Quinlivan).
The final scene of the play, which combines the two acts, is perhaps the most important. It brings both acts into a climactic resolution that lets viewers see what Shakespeare was trying to accomplish.
In that scene, the play is once again at the court of King Leontes, but the passage of time has made a big difference on his mind and heart. The years have healed the jealous monarch, who looks at his past in a new light. He reunites with his friend Polixenes, his daughter Perdita, and wonder of wonders, the statue of his once loving wife, Queen Hermione, miraculously comes to life.
Although “The Winter’s Tale” began with painful, tragic events, it ends wonderfully on a heartfelt resolution of forgiveness and redemption.
A Well-Rounded Production
Director Charles Askenaizer has done a masterful job of trimming the original five-act play into essential two acts, speeding the action and making it more accessible. Furthermore, Invictus’s artistic team of talents has created a palpable atmosphere to put us in the play’s background of time and place. Kevin Rolf’s dark and shadowy scenic design of the first act provides a setting that fits that story, while the second act shines with Trey Brazeal’s sunlit tones of joy and gaiety. Adding to the emotional pulse of the production is the sound and original music by Petter Wahlback.
By the end of the play, viewers come to understand why Shakespeare combined such disparate acts into one. That’s when he demonstrates the destructive power of jealousy and the healing power of love. He also shows how aging has a way of softening hearts and imbuing wisdom.
Those who have seen the tragicomic romance before may glean new, deeper insights in this exceptional production. Those who haven’t seen it may appreciate this revival that brings out the best of Shakespeare.
