Last Updated on February 15, 2026
The cost of true repentance
The Winter’s Tale has returned to the Royal Opera House – its Opening Night on Friday evening was quite wonderful, with sublime dancing that transmitted the sadness and profundity of the tale, and also its joy, powerfully to the audience. The ballet is an exploration of the mad jealousy and tyranny of one man, the destruction that brings – grief, suffering, despair and death – contrasted with the understanding that in life there is also goodness, loyalty and true love. The majority of the characters in this ballet fall into the latter category, and this brings true happiness, repentance, forgiveness and redemption. This ballet is a wonderful opportunity for interpretation for the dancers both debuting in roles (e.g. Melissa Hamilton, Cesar Corrales) or returning to them (Lauren Cuthbertson, Francesca Hayward).
The Winter’s Tale is a contemporary three-act narrative ballet adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s later plays, written in 1611, and was choreographed by Artistic Associate, Christopher Wheeldon in 2014 and premiered on 15 April 2014. It is a co-production between The Royal Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada and won Wheeldon the UK National Dance Award and the Benois de la Dance laureate. This production used the same outstanding team that created Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 2011; alongside Christopher Wheeldon, there is the brilliant composer Joby Talbot, the great designer Bob Crowley and lighting designer Natasha Katz. The ballet, now a modern classic and a fundamental part of the Royal Ballet’s repertory, is returning on its tenth anniversary.
The story starts with the Prologue, which illustrates the childhood friendship of Leontes the King of Sicilia (Cesar Corrales, debut) and Polixenes, King of Bohemia (Calvin Richardson, debut), and we see two boys, one dressed in a green top and the other red, against a black background of mourning. They are later separated and go back to their respective Kingdoms. Leontes marries Hermione (Lauren Cuthbertson, first cast 2014) and gives her an emerald necklace. They have a son, Mamillius (Rafferty Smale) and a seemingly blissful marriage. There is a lovely scene when we see them all bathed in light and dancing happily together. The set of the court of Leontes is vibrant at first with joyful dancing and costumes of blue, red and deep green and Hermione dressed distinctively in purple, and the lighting (Natasha Katz) is bright.
Melissa Hamilton made her debut as Head of Queen Hermione’s Household who is devoted to the Queen and Mamillius, and her dancing throughout was very beautiful, strong and sincere, as she portrays a loyal, moral and good servant. Calvin Richardson gave an exceptionally charming and distinguished portrayal of the wronged friend Polixenes.
As an adult Polixenes makes a nine-month visit to the court of Leontes and at the end of the visit, at Leontes’ request, Hermione successfully gets Polixenes to change his mind about returning to his country to check on his affairs and his own son. Doubt is triggered in Leontes’ mind, with his wife about to give birth after nine months; he suddenly believes that his wife has been unfaithful and that the child is not his. He unjustly mistrusts his own wife and best friend and succumbs to an all-consuming jealousy. The lighting gradually darkens, indicating Leontes’ mindset. Cesar Corrales’ dancing was strong and passionate and he gave an excellent portrayal of Leontes’ disturbed mind, lack of true love and his hubris. The moment his jealousy takes possession of him is riveting; the cast freezes, it is dark and only he dances around erotically charged statues, all spiky leg and hand movements, like a spider, and tortured leaps and turns, crawling fingers up his body, all to indicate madness, and danced to the incredibly brilliant music of Joby Talbot.
The scene where Leontes mistreats his pregnant wife is disturbing and Lauren Cuthbertson shows Hermione’s anguish perfectly. He then attacks Polixenes, who flees back to Bohemia. Hermione is thrown into prison, where she gives birth to a daughter. In a heart-rending scene between Paulina and Leontes, she brings the baby girl to Leontes who disowns her and orders her to be abandoned.
Lauren Cuthbertson as Hermione dances in her defence at her trial with great sensitivity and artistry; she is innocent but cannot prove it. Her dancing in this scene and the music are quite exquisite. She is dressed in a beautiful flowing simple white dress to portray her innocence and dances against a dark background to stand out. Leontes stands there amongst the statues dressed completely in black and Paulina watches in disbelief. I loved Hermione’s solo when she spins around in attitude to the music of her most beautiful leitmotiv, with yearning woodwind.
However, nothing can move the mad Leontes, even her impassioned pleas shown in the intense choreography. He treats her roughly, humiliates her and passes judgment; death. Rafferty Smale is a very tender and loving son Mamillius, who descends the stairs and witnesses his mother’s ill-treatment, is heartbroken and he collapses and dies. Hermione has lost everything she loved and in great distress, she falls into a dead faint. Paulina is driven to hit Leontes in despair and I think the audience wanted to join her. However, at long last, when all seems lost, Leontes realises the truth of what he has done and Corrales shows Leontes’ realisation and remorse effectively as he bends down with arms outstretched in penitence.
Act 1 ends with Antigonus (Thomas Whitehead), Paulina’s husband, sailing away to Bohemia. The projection of the sailing ship in stormy seas was very effective. Daniel Brodie the Projection Designer and Basil Twist the Silk Effects Designer collaborated and used a silky projection screen to create the amazing effects of the great ship being pummelled in the storm, the terrifying bear and the voyage home 16 years later. Antigonus abandons the baby in a safe place with some treasure, only to be killed by said bear. The baby, which thanks to some puppet wizardry could wave its arms and legs, is found by a good-hearted shepherd (Gary Avis in kindly form) and his son Clown (energetically danced by Marco Masciari) and is rescued.
Act 2 is an amazing contrast to Act 1. It is full of joie de vivre and wonderful colour, and at its heart is a wonderful tree, a veritable tree of life, an amazing creation by Bob Crowley, bestrewn with necklaces and other adornments. This is a pastoral act; one of community and happiness. Here is the vibrant countryside as opposed to the shadowy court. It is sixteen years later and Perdita, (the wonderful Francesca Hayward), the lost daughter, has been brought up by Father Shepherd and she has fallen in love with Florizel, (Marcelino Sambé on top form) the son of Polixenes, so he is in fact a prince in disguise. There follows the most wonderful lively dancing scenes of the villagers, shepherds and shepherdesses at a country festival with exciting and vibrant ensemble scenes, the men in highly coloured, orange, red and blue costumes with amazing kilts and leggings, and the ladies in floral pastel dresses, except for Perdita who stands out in purple as her mother wore in the first Act. There is a wonderful pas de deux between Hayward and Sambé. Meghan Grace Hinkis as the Young Shepherdess and Marco Masciari as Brother Clown the Shepherd’s Son were also full of life and fun. Again, the music accompaniment was stunning and I loved having a band on stage, which included an accordion and a flute.
Just as Florizel and Perdita are about to be engaged, Polixenes appears and disrupts it. They all make their escape to Sicilia with Polixenes in hot pursuit and the chasing boat scene was great fun.
In Act 3 we find ourselves back in the sorrowing Kingdom where Leontes is living a life of penance under the supervision of Paulina. He welcomes and helps Florizel and Perdita, and when Polixenes handles Perdita roughly, in an echo of Leontes’ bad behaviour in Act 1, there is a great moment when Perdita’s special emerald necklace is seen by Paulina. Perdita is recognised as the lost Princess, to everyone’s joy. Corrales shows us that Leontes is a changed humbled man. The scene is set for the final denouement, where Hermione is restored and there are wonderful scenes between Leontes and Hermione, who is able to forgive him, and he now truly appreciates his wife, and Perdita. The ending is breathtaking; Paulina tells Leontes to leave the statue of his son to start life again with his wife and family, and she stays behind, bending down and reaching out to the statue of Mamillius, who has not been restored to life because there is a price to pay for redemption and second chances. Melissa Hamilton danced this part very sensitively and it was a very deep moment.
I thoroughly enjoyed this production and the company was absolutely stunning. The combination of Christopher Wheeldon’s incredible choreography, the amazing contrasting sets, designs and costumes of Bob Crowley, the lighting by Natasha Katz and the projections and special stage effects of Daniel Brodie and Basil Twist, is superb. Added to that we have the staging of Jacquelin Barrett and Christopher Saunders, the wonderful score of Joby Talbot, the amazing orchestra conducted by Koen Kessels, and the coaching of Edward Watson and Zenaida Yanowsky, making a truly memorable and brilliant evening.
Many other dancers will be making their debuts in roles: Matthew Ball, Nicol Edmonds and Vadim Muntagirov as Leontes; Sarah Lamb as Hermione; Yasmine Naghdi, Sae Maeda and Viola Pantuso as Perdita; and William Bracewell, Luca Acri and Joseph Sissens as Florizel; Mayara Magri and Olivia Cowley as Paulina; David Donelly and Leo Dixon as Polixenes.
The Winter’s Tale continues until Saturday 1 June 2024 and will be live in cinemas on Wednesday, 22 May 2024, at 7.15 pm BST and Marianela Nunez, Matthew Ball, Yasmine Naghdi, William Bracewell, Mayara Magri and Lukas B. Brændsrød will dance the leads and then Encores will follow from Sunday, 26 May at 2 pm BST.
Royal Opera House
Bow Street, London, WC2E 9DD
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