BWW Reviews: Capital Classics' THE WINTER'S TALE perfectly at home during the summer

The Winter's Tale

by William Shakespeare
Directed by Geoffrey Sheehan
For Capital Classics, running on the grounds of St. Joseph University in West Hartford through August 11
www.capitalclassics.org

William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale may seem counterintuitive for an outdoor summer Shakespeare festival, but Capital Classics' current production of the play oddly makes a fine choice for July and August. Not really having anything to do cold, blustery winter months, The Bard's story is more a tragicomedy starting in darkness and ending in light. The arc of the evening actually played out the opposite, with the performance beginning in sunlight and ending in the glow of theatrical lighting, as if around a bonfire, while the heat of the day gives way to the coolness of night. Magical.

Director Geoffrey Sheehan, who also edited the script for length, renders an extremely faithful production. My two previous encounters with The Winter's Tale, well, left me a little cold on the play. With a progressively darker first act and a sunshiny bumpkin romp in the second act, the tale seemed to suffer from bipolar disorder. I wasn't sure any production could make the piece seem unifieD. Sheehan has done a seamless job making the two halves a whole.

The story of The Winter's Tale centers around two brothers, The Kings Of Sicilia and Bohemia. Leontes of Sicilia has come to believe that his pregnant wife Hermione has cuckolded him by sleeping with his brother, Polixenes of Bohemia. Consumed by anger and jealousy, Leontes drives away Polixenes, imprisons his wife, and banishes his newborn daughter to a certain death. That's Act 1. Act 2 finds Leontes' daughter rescued by a kindly shepherd and raised among the country villagers of Bohemia. She has captured the heart of Polixenes' son, Florizell, who intends to marry her. Polixenes discovers Florizell's unsanctioned relationship with a commoner and threatens horrible fates to all involved, reminiscent of his brother's rage in the first act. Happy reunions and miracles ensue.

Similar to As You Like It, the gloom of the first act is replaced with pastoral cheeriness in the second half. Although blessed with a happy ending, Sheehan maintains a strength of tone throughout that makes the first act seem a little less bleak, humanizing Leontes, and shaping the second act with darker hues that make the piece work more effectively.

Sheehan is ably abetted by a uniformly solid cast. Michael Nowicki, a Capital Classics stalwart, renders a sensitive and holistic performance as King Leontes. His tender moments with his son, played with charming realism by Jackson Sheehan, show that a man consumed by fire can still have a soul. Mara Lieberman, the Artistic Director of the more avant-garde Bated Breath Theatre, shows she is comfortably adept in a classical role. Her performance as Queen Hermione manages to be heartfelt and heartbreaking.

The always-dependable Laura Sheehan shows her usual steel and grit in the role of Paulina, the one woman who will not back down when confronted with Leontes' insane jealousies. David MacAmis makes for a solid Antigonus, a man torn between the power of his King and Paulina, his formidable wife. Greg Mouning, in his seventh Capital Classics production, renders a fine performance as Polixenes, managing to be both regal and human.

Lizzy Jutila and Kevin Green, as the young lovers Perdita and Florizell, make for charming secondary leads. Mercifully, David Regan and Jacob Grannan keep the roles of the country shepherds from descending into foppish bumpkins, thereby keeping the play from sliding into Act 2 tomfoolery. Tom Ciarleglio similarly does a terrific job keeping his duplicitous Bohemian from abject silliness.

Geoffrey Sheehan's best decision with the production is to play it straight. The excellent costumes by Vivianna Lamb are appropriate to Shakespeare with bodices, tunics and pumpkin breeches in place. The lighting by Robyn Joyce gradually sneaks up on the assembled crowd as the lovely campus of St. Joseph University descends into twilight. Two lively fiddlers, Matthew Primm and Rebekah Butler, provide transitional music, as well as jigs to accompany the fun dances choreographed by Sonia Plumb.

A nod to some of the fairytale elements of The Winter's Tale, David Regan's scenic design appears as giant pages of a book that allow Sheehan to frame the characters in tableaux before they enter and exit scenes. The effect is charming, although the elements have clearly taken their toll on the set, thereby making the warped assemblage look in danger of falling over.

One final note on Capital Classics' The Winter's Tale; The production is dedicated to the memory of Carol Walter, a former board member of the company. It is fitting that her spouse, Debra Walsh, delivers the finest performance I have seen her give as the stalwart Camilla. The evening I attended began with a few sprinkles, but ended with a glorious sunset, birds chirping and the audience applauding as the play's final miracle unfolded. One cannot help but feel that Carol was blessing the whole endeavor.

Photo of Greg Mouning, Mara Lieberman, Rebekah Butler and Matthew Primm by Nicole Battistone.

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