Reviewed
by Jerry Kraft
As
a reviewer I rapidly grew blind to advance promotional material that promised
"a magical experience," or "a fantastical fable that will
transport you..." and so forth. What a marvelous surprise then when a show
like Seattle Shakespeare Company's "The Winter Tale" actually delivers on all of
those promises. This utterly delightful and perfectly shaped production,
directed by Mark Harrison, presents one of the Bard's lesser and less-produced
comedies with pure imagination and theatrical excellence. It really is
enchanting, and populated by this accomplished and well-directed ensemble it
was an entirely entertaining and satisfying evening.
The
story concerns King Leontes, whose jealousy generates suspicion toward his
wife, Hermione, and toward the visiting Polixenes, King of Bohemia. That
results in a great split in the friendship between the two Kings. Leontes
banishes his wife, Hermione, in spite of the Oracle proclaiming her innocence.
Their young son, Mamillius dies of grief, and the newborn daughter, Perdita, is
ordered to be abandoned on a distant isle, but then when her transporter is
killed by a bear, she is snatched away by a shepherd who raises her. Hermione
herself is believed dead. Sixteen years later, Perdita returns to fall in love
with a prince, and a statue of Hermione is somehow magically restored to life.
It's a pretty far-fetched story, but a charming amusement.
The
cast has exactly the right tone and weight for this slight but fanciful story,
and the physical production couldn't be better. The use of Asian-style puppets,
dance, music and theatricalized objects, all on Jennifer Zeyl's gorgeous scenic design, with
fine costumes, lighting and sound design make this one of the most beautifully
built productions I've seen in some time. The actors have all found exactly the
right blend of self-serious ego and oblivious foolishness. The purely comic
bits, in particular the work of Troy Fischnaller and Troy Miszklevitz were inspired, ridiculous and
expertly contrived. In the more serious roles, Paul Morgan Stetler gave Leontes subtle uncertainties
that, combined with his royal office, helped explain his colossal mistakes.
Opposite him, Jack Greenman made the wronged King Polixenes suitably sympathetic. I
was also particularly impressed with Elena Wright as the abandoned princess, Perdita.
I loved her plain-mannered beauty, which made her common upbringing consonant
with her inherent nobility. Spencer Clark also gave an effective performance as the child
Mamillius.
In
many ways, the entire production had a pervasive sense of childhood freedom and
imagination. The fearsome bear, created by elements of a great face and mouth
conjoined on the ends of poles, was both toy and terror. The travels between
the kingdoms, accomplished with toy boats traversing the stage on waves of
wire, the oddly mechanical puppet of time, all of these elements felt less like
theatrical invention than pure make-believe, the story less like fantasy than
just pretend.
This
may not be an important piece of Shakespeare, but it was certainly a great
evening in the theatre. I loved this show, and I loved the obvious mastery on
display as I watched and listened to superior storytellers weaving a genuinely
enchanting spell.