Shakespeare Festival, Cedar City

One Good and One Bad

One of the major contrasts of the play The Winter's Tale is the contrast between winter and summer. This is one theme that was given life through the stage production on Saturday.  

We have all had the experiance of reading a book or play and then viewed a director's interpretation of that work, only to have our eyes opened and to be utterly captivated by the work.  A reason for this treat is that a film or play involves all the senses, save a couple, where reading a work invoves none.  A interpretation literaly gives breath and life to a work.  

Indeed, The Winter's Tale, froze the audience in its winter and revived them in its summer.  But why was this interpretation able to capture its audiance in its seasons?  In sicilia the play began with a tense mood.  Already one could see the termoil in Leonties, he was on edge and tense to both Hermoine and Polxenies.  The stage was decorated with formal chairs and dim lighting.  Every member of the stage was dressed in dark formals painted against a cold blue background.  The dialog was true to writ, the first part full of accusations, thickening plots, and murderous desires.  It left the audience in a state of anxed and gloom.  This catatonia being broken only briefly by the angelic shepherd and son, as part one of the play drew to a close.

At the beginning of act two the blue funk still held its maliced iron grip on the throat of the audience.  Then came, after a short plot between Polxenies and Camillo--Autolycus.  He bounded on the stage singing, the lights came up bright with reds and purples, greens and orange.  It was as if the blue metal giant had all of a sudden been vanquished and cool, clean air now ran into the lungs of every member.  The air almost smelled of spring as strings of flowers hung from the rafters of the stage.  Shakespeares winter and spring masterfully conveyed!  The audience felt the cold of winter and warmth of spring.  While reading the song of Autolycus was nothing, but on stage with the contrast of winter, it was the sun and nectar of a radiant summers day! It was air when there was none.

It was the set and actions of each character that brought the seasons of The Winters Tale to life.