Written by William Shakespeare.
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Producer: Royal National Theatre
Starring: Alex Jennings, Claire Skinner, Richard Addison, Geoffrey Beevers, Melanie Clark Pullen, Elaine Claxton, Phil Daniels, Joe Dixon, Branwell Donaghey, Alex Dower, Peter Eastland, Steven Elliot, Deborah Findlay, John Normington, Nicholas Prideaux, Stephen Rashbrook, Ann-Marie Roberts, Daniel Roberts, Iain Robertson, Nick Sampson, Jennifer Scott-Malden, Katy Secombe, Florence Sparham, Julian Wadham, Katie Wimpenny, Brigid Zengeni.
Story: A happy and successful marriage is destroyed by irrational jealousy when a husband suspects his wife of an adulterous affair with his best friend.

Review by Jonathan Richards
May 2001
Email: Jonathan@sevin.co.uk
web: Jonathan Richards' London Reviews

Nicholas Hytner s modern dress production for the National Theatre (Olivier) is a bit of a hit and miss affair. So understandably too have the reviews been varied from "mediocre or downright disgraceful& crass vulgarity." (The Daily Telegraph) to "a dashing, illuminating occasion." (Observer).

Sharply divided into contrasting halves by a gap of sixteen years, The Winter s Tale is the most formally structured of Shakespeare s late romances. The two halves are also divided between bleak tragedy and comic romance. Employing many typical elements of romance, a babe abandoned to the elements, a princess brought up by shepherds, and a recognition scene, the play hangs on King Leontes (Alex Jennings) wildly unjustified accusations against his wife, Hermione (Claire Skinner), of adultery with the King of Bohemia (Julian Wadham), and the varied events that follow.

Hytner s production does not start without problems: Ashley Martin-Davis set is an uncomfortable mix of cold modern office interior and pieces of slate (indicating the shore setting later in the play). The set is not very attractive and does not make very good use of the Olivier. Secondly, Hytner s cast is generally not very good vocally; projection and diction are frequently very bad and audibility is sometimes difficult. However, some strong performances make Act I a powerful, emotional event.

Alex Jennings Leontes turns into a jealous emotional wreck in a very complicated portrayal of a man who eventually breaks as his "certainty" that his wife is unfaithful grows. Jennings plays with a façade which he shows to hide his emotions in front of everyone bar his son, but then his surface cracks and we are subjected a marvellous performance which lets us in on the pain of a jealous, bitter, enraged and "betrayed" man, but also shows the audience how ridiculous Leontes behaviour actually is. Unfortunately not all of the cast are as good as Jennings. Claire Skinner s Hermione brings out too slowly the despair of a woman who is falsely accused. In a "court room" scene in which she is tried one would hardly believe that she is arguing to defend her life& nevertheless, her performance is moving. However, when Deborah Findlay as Paulina enters, she manages to restore some of the play s lost pace. As a kind of "woman who lunches" she excels in her part as a strong, domineering figure who nearly has a lot of power over the king. She manages to be witty and compassionate and her performance is well paced.

Many people no doubt will comment on Hytner s Glastonbury setting for the sheep shearing festival. While I found it entertaining and amusing it, the novelty did take away any impact the first half had and made it very difficult to take the rest of the play seriously. Some of the performances in the second half were very lacking: Daniel Roberts plays a very unconvincing, almost ridiculous Florizel, over gesticulating and speaking very strangely.

Personally, by the end of this play I was left unmoved. While some performances take away from the blandness of this production, I left the Olivier wishing I had received better: better performances, better design and less novelty.

(Jonathan Richards : Jonathan@sevin.co.uk)

This production has received mixed reviews from the popular press...... JANE EDWARDES for TIME OUT says,"Hytner has proved, once again, that he knows how to tame the National's arena stage." CHARLES SPENCER for THE DAILY TELEGRAPH says, "There are a few good moments in this production at the National's Olivier, but many more that are either mediocre or downright disgraceful. It is a shock to discover that Hytner - a director I have always admired - is capable of such crass vulgarity."BENEDICT NIGHTINGALE for THE TIMES says, "A decidedly uneven affair: fine Leontes, strangely underpowered Hermione, and modern dress that adds a bit but, in one major instance, subtracts lots." MICHAEL BILLINGTON says, "By opting for modern dress, Hytner...anchors Leontes's jealousy in a plausible world of tortured politesse, and provides a perfect setting for a major performance from Alex Jennings as Leontes." PAUL TAYLOR for THE INDEPENDENT says,Hytner's production is at its best when giving us a sharp, fresh sense of the ethos that helps explain Leontes' sudden descent into madness." BEN DOWELL for THE STAGE says, "Modern take is full of wonder." NICHOLAS DE JONGH for THE EVENING STANDARD says, "Even though Hytner's modernising touches are shrewd, his production disappoints."