A WINTER'S TALE (Marin Shakespeare Co.)

(L to R) Jerry Hoffman, Drew Hirshfield and George Maguire as the clowns in Marin Shakespeare Company's THE WINTER'S TALE. Photo by Morgan Cowin

A WINTER’S TALE, By William Shakespeare, Directed by Lesley and Robert Currier.
Marin Shakespeare Summer Mainstage Season at Dominican University of California's Forest Meadows Amphitheatre, 50 Acaia Avenue, San Rafael, California . 415/499-4488 or http://www.marinshakespeare.org. July 11- August 24, 2008.

A TOUCH OF CLASS IS NEEDED

Since Winter’s Tale is a romance with a happy conclusion and none of the characters taken from history, it is perfectly appropriate for directors to take liberties with the play’s time and place of the action. One would suspect that Australia has been picked to be the locale when the director introduces a Greek chorus of one, named TIME, starts the evening playing a didjeridu eventually telling us he is our guide to “A tale of Sicilia – and Bohemia.” Shakespeare only introduces TIME in Scene I of Act IV to convey, “slide O'er sixteen years . . . To speak of Perdita, now grown in grace.” This conceit of TIME being continually on stage, could easily be dropped allowing the very good actors to strut their stuff without intrusion.

There are two distinct moods in the play, intense drama giving way to ribald comedy. Shakespeare often uses such dichotomy and the cast adroitly handles the change in pace to the delight of the audience. More about that later.

King Leontes (Rafael Untalan)of Sicilia has entertained Polixenes (Scott Coopwood), King of Bohemia for many months and must now return to Bohemia. They are inseparable best friends since childhood. At Leontes’ behest, Hermione (Alexandra Matthew), Leontes’ pregnant wife encourages Polixenes to stay. This triggers an insane jealously in Leontes unjustly accusing her of infidelity with Polixenes. His insidious jealousy causes him to denounce his son Mamillius (Gabriel Cowger) as illegitimate. Both are imprisoned despite Paulina’s (Celia Madeoy) imploring protestations. In prison after giving birth to a girl, Hermoine, upon hearing of the death of her son, dies. The infant daughter is banished and set adrift. The Oracle of Delphi proclamation attests that “Hermione is chaste, Polixenes blameless . . .”

Now the fun begins with an Old Shepard (George Maguire) and his not too bright but raunchy young son (Drew Hirshfield) discover the infant girl who has washed up on the shores of Bohemia with a bag of gold and letter identifying her royal birth. They adopt her; give her the name Perdita (Kate Fox Marcom). Sixteen years pass, Perdita is now a beautiful young girl in love with Florizell (Mark Robinson) son of Polixenes. Enter Autolycus, a cozener (one with artful coaxing, wheedling and shrewd trickery) who invites himself to the sheep shearing party complete with music, dancing and singing.

Camillo (Michael Ray Wisely), trusted aid to Polixenes who denies marriage to the lovers, aids Perdita and Florizell on a journey to Sacilia where a life-like statue of Hermoine has been erected. Paulina, the sorcerer, brings Hermoine’s statue to life and all leads to a happy ending.

The plot line is much more convoluted. The unfolding is half the fun and the entire cast does justice to Shakespeare’s lines adding more than a modicum of the vernacular to inject humor after an intense first act. Rafael Untalan as Leontes progresses from hail-fellow- fast friend of Polixenes to raging jealousy is a study in character development. Coopwood’s Polixenes defines the word regal. Michael Ray Wisely as Camillo calmly and elegantly underplays the role to perfection. Jerry Hoffman switches from the subservient role of Antigonus to become the scene “stealer” as Autolycus the cozener. George Maguire challenges Hoffman as “best in show” from his entrance baaing like a sheep. However, he has help from Drew Hirshfield as they feed off each other as father and son. Mark Robinson and Kate Fox Marcom exude charisma and are completely believable as the lovers.

A problem lies in the characterization of the two female leads who are excellent actors and bring verisimilitude to their characterizations of Hermoine and Paulina but their interpretations under Lesley Currier’s direction lacks “class.” Hermoine is a creature of great stature who would not grovel, as she did, under Leontes diatribes. Madeoy has not learned that assertiveness does not require raising your voice.
Running time 2 hours and 50 minutes with intermission.
Courtesy of TheatreWorld Internet Magazine