The Winter's Tale

Apparently I can blog-out myself. I've seen a lot of plays in the past week, trying to rev up my reviewing muscles, but found that they kind of hurt. Each review has been shorter than the last... I'm sure this one will be the shortest.

This time I sat one row behind the Lord's Chairs, so still very good seating. The house was full, but not packed. The audience was receptive but not overbearing, like at the Midsummer performance.

The play had average moments and great moments. I was confused why Leontes switches from suspicion to shame and back again so quickly in the first act. I would have preferred a Leontes who let his own self-doubt show a bit more. This portrayal made his subjects look as if they were merely trying to survive a tyrant's wrath, and Leontes look like an asshole... which is certainly textually supported. I want to like the main character of the first act more, I want him to be like he is in the 2nd act... which is sort of the point.

I liked how the Blackfriars' staging made the theatre the court, that each party plead their case to the audience. This enhanced the public nature of these scenes. Hermione's costume was disturbing for the courtroom scene... an excellent choice.

Another good choice made possible by the Blackfriars' conditions was the exit of Antigonus followed by the immediate entrance of the old man. As Antigonus' dying scream faded, the old man was already joking. The complete change of mood was jarring, and also interesting. I think it is a good metaphor for the play as a whole, the connection between comedy and tragedy.

I feel like most of the second half surpassed the first, except for the length of the singing and dancing. It could have been cut in half without any damage to the plot, and stopped the strained feeling as they pushed out the last song.

A few thoughts I had about the play:
1. Would Paulina have showed the statue if Perdita hadn't arrived?
2. Did Camillo recognize Perdita, having spent so much time with her mother?
3. Is Paulina happy to marry Camillo?
4. Why don't we get to see the reunion of father and daughter? (I have my suspicions on this one though).

This play doesn't give us a clean ending. Emotion, instead of explanation, takes center stage. The final scene with Hermione's resurrection brought tears to my eyes, but I wasn't sure if it was joy or sadness. Like the rest of the play, The Winter's Tale is happy to leave us wondering... and we find that no answer is needed.

Well, that wasn't quite as short as I feared it was going to be. In other news, I'm about to leave for Columbia, Maryland, to see my mother. Hurrah!