The Winter’s Tale at Shakespeare’s Globe

Last Updated on December 12, 2024

A Dramatic Shakespearian Feast!

Shakespeare’s ‘problem plays’ are problems for a reason. In The Winter’s Tale, the problem is that Shakespeare has wrapped a sordid tale of false accusation around a witty love story, with just enough room for some singing and dancing just to top it off. Thankfully, director Sean Holmes embraces the play’s pick-and-mix style, culminating in a witty, lively production that nonetheless embraces the cold. This is the first time the Sam Wannamaker Playhouse and The Globe have been used for the same show, and it worked surprisingly well, marking the difference between Sicily and Bohemia.   

Kicking off in the Wannamaker, King Leontes of Sicily, his pregnant wife Hermione, their son Mamillius and Polixenes, the King of Bohemia, take their seats at a candle-lit dining table. Leontes, confidently played by Sergo Vares, decides to create his own problems and imagine an affair between Hermione and Polixenes. Leontes grows mad with tyrannical jealousy, costing him dearly, and prompting Polixenes to return to Bohemia swiftly. Bea Segura as Hermione gives a brilliantly impassioned speech attempting to sway Leontes’s mind, but to no avail; his fate, and that of his newborn daughter, Perdita, is sealed. Some comedy is sprinkled throughout this First Act, but it is predominantly a tense tale of unwarranted slander. Thankfully, things are about to kick up a notch.

Act Two brings us to The Globe and thus the shores of Bohemia. Sixteen years have passed, and Perdita, who was abandoned at the country’s border, has been brought up by a shepherd. Bohemia, in the vision of designer Grace Smart, resembles the final day of Glastonbury festival. The stage is littered with odd tables, wooden boards and plastic cutlery, but it works. Charmingly lit by fairy light, the love between Perdita and Florizel, Polixenes’s son, blooms and the merriment begins, songs are sung, dances are danced, and a myriad of disguises are worn and discarded. The ‘on a budget’ look of the entire affair goes down spectacularly well against the party atmosphere. For Act Three, we all bundle back into the Wannamaker, returning to Sicily, where reconciliations and miraculous reunions round off the production.

For contrasting reasons, the two unlikely stars of the production are Nadine Higgin’s Paulina and Ed Gaughan’s Autolycus. Higgin’s clarity of voice and sense of dramatic passion were both spot on, drawing the eye to her immediately, and her command of drama is impeccable. Conversely, Ed Gaughan’s cheeky chappie routine is undeniably enjoyable. His easy manner and off-piste character brought out the most laughs and generally helped Act Two maintain its party atmosphere.

Despite the happy ending and general comedic atmosphere, The Winter’s Tale is not without its tragedy. This particular take on Shakespeare’s play warns us about the dangers of pride and pomp. Leontes loses his son and sixteen years of life with his wife and daughter to his own paranoia and rejection of ‘the experts’, or in this case Apollo’s oracle at Delphos. Similarly, Polixenes almost loses a relationship with his son Florizel due to his prejudice against the ‘lowly’ Perdita. The Winter’s Tale might be the perfect play for our highly unequal post-truth world, and this production brilliantly balances the message and the laughs.

The show is probably best served after having familiarised yourself with the play beforehand, since, particularly in The Globe, it’s easy to lose the shape of Shakespeare’s words. This isn’t helped by what can only be described as ‘Celtic fringe’ accents in Act Two. Although undeniably crass, Colm Gormley and Samuel Creasey make for a compelling comedy duo.

There will doubtless be those who accuse this production of veering too far from the original. Still, in a play where the central reconciliation happens off stage, which boasts the infamous stage direction ‘exit pursued by a bear’, a little dramatic license can only improve things. Shakespeare’s lighter dramas are always best when done a little cheekily.

The Winter’s Tale at The Globe Theatre:

The Globe Theatre, 
21 New Globe Walk,
London,
SE1 9DT

Tickets can be found Here.

Run Time: 3 hours 10 minutes, including a 20-minute interval and a short pause

Performances until Sunday 16^th April.