“The Winter’s Tale”. By William Shakespeare. Directed by Bryn Boice. Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company at the Boston Common through August 4.
By Michele Markarian
For many of us hankering for outdoor theater, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s annual summer production is something to look forward to. This year, despite the difficult theme of “The Winter’s Tale,” one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays,” Commonwealth does not disappoint.
Leontes (Nael Nacer), King of Sicily, in a super extended moment of paranoia and jealousy, accuses his pregnant, goodly wife, Hermione (Marianna Bassham), of infidelity with his best friend, Polixenes (Omar Robinson), King of Bohemia. He imprisons Hermione, tries to poison Polixenes, and isolates his son, Mamillius (Eviva Rose), as he awaits word from the Oracle at Delphi that Hermione has indeed betrayed him. Hermione gives birth to a daughter from prison; Leontes orders that the baby be taken away to fend for herself in isolation. Word arrives from the Oracle that Hermione is innocent, but not before the young Mamillius dies at the thought of his mother’s imprisonment. Upon hearing that she loses both her daughter AND her son, Hermione herself is stricken and dies, too. For sixteen years, the mourning Leontes is a shell of a man, perpetually remorseful for his nefarious mistrust. What could possibly go right?
Believe it or not, all works out well in the end. With forgiveness of self and others a hard-hitting theme, Leontes gets off easy. Admittedly, I found myself wishing that he didn’t – as a woman and a mother, it’s a difficult play to sit through, especially in the current political environment. Although I took small comfort in the fact that while Hermione appeared to forgive, she was – spoiler alert – a statue come to life rather than the real deal. It speaks volumes about Boice and the cast for allowing this writer to suspend disbelief throughout, causing me to seethe through most of Act One. That said, there is nothing more enjoyable than sitting on the Boston Common under the stars for a performance by the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, a happy and eagerly anticipated hallmark of Boston’s summer theater scene. As with last summer’s MacBeth, it is an absolute pleasure to hear Shakespeare’s lines spoken, in particular, by Bassham, Nacer, and Robinson, whose clear, natural, and unaffected deliveries give way to strong intentions and understanding.
Boice’s lively direction makes the two-and-a-half-hour production seem to go by quickly. As always with Shakespeare, some characters are devised for comic relief; Richard Snee, as the Shepherd, and Cleveland Nicoll, as the Clown, were quite funny together. A howling rogue, Autolycus (Ryan Winkles), entertains with chicanery and song. Even Nacer, as the stewing Leontes, gets a laugh with his rendering of “Satisfy! The entreaties of your mistress! Satisfy!”
James J. Fenton’s magnificent, imposing, and versatile set is flanked by two monitors, which roll the text in real time. Maximo Grano De Oro’s lighting design helps transform the stage from Sicily’s austere court to a shepherd’s sheep shearing party in Sicily to a stormy seascape. Rachel Padula-Shufelt’s costumes, a mix of contemporary and Elizabethan, bring home the melding of tradition with the present time, as does Mackenzie Adamick’s original score. What makes Commonwealth Shakespeare’s productions so compelling is their accessibility, as evidenced by the mixed ages in the audience. Don’t let this summer’s free entertainment pass you by. For tickets and information, go to: https://commshakes.org/production/winterstale/
