Witness “A Winter’s Tale”
By Wes Hessel with D’Arcy Mies
It’s exciting to see CST return to their repertory roots – it’s intriguing that they are doing “A Winter’s Tale” in tandem with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. What a cool idea to juxtapose the two “seasonal” shows, both so ethereal; Midsummer so popular and staged frequently, but Winter’s Tale produced so rarely and not as well known. The actors are very comfortable speaking in Shakespearean tongue, never a stilted line, the play well rehearsed. Audiences may find that this feels, in many respects, like two different plays:
The first half, set in Sicilia, is monochrome – costumes are black, white, and grey. It starts off at an elegant and regal court, but becomes increasingly frightening as the plot, and King Leontes’ mental status, darken. The first act ends grimly, but with some exciting stagecraft as the scene closes. The first half feels like a classical tragedy, with only the final scene of the act (the finding of baby Perdita by the Old Shepard on the shore of Bohemia) keeping it from being an actual formal “tragedie”. In part, the King is punished because he shuns the advice of the Oracle of Apollo – it ‘s never a good idea to ignore the seer…
Act II, by contrast is a comedy; the lighting, costuming, and set are all cheerful, funny, with the Bohemians dressed in a way that honors both the real traditional “Boho” shepherding clothing and hippie Bohemians. Sean Fortunato, who has been a Chicago Shakes pillar for years, is howlingly funny as Autolycus, a scoundrel and thief – he is, for me, the standout performance of the show. Paulina, played by Issy Van Randwick, is also notable as a great actor among great players. The second act ends like a comedy, with redemption for most and justice for all (except the princeling and Antigonus, famously pursued by a bear).
True lovers of Shakespeare will enjoy this exploration of the Bard’s work, yet the production is accessible to all. The “Tale” ends December 12th, though, so please sail to www.chicagoshakes.com for tickets or more information.
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