The Winter's Tale, Propeller Theatre Company - Sheffield Lyceum

I cannot lie, the majority of this review is copy and pasted from a ridiculously lengthy email I sent to Rob, and will thus be ridiculous. However, I have edited it slightly, because gmail is a much safer home for my shamelessness, and this blog must retain at least a little decorum.

(There be spoilers below. Big ones. Do not read on if you want to remain unspoiled for the production. This means you, Emma.)

To summarise, I loved it. I have a soft spot for it having studying it for A-Level, but it cannot be denied that the play itself is bizarre; with its halves in complete opposition, it can leave an audience a little unsettled, I think.

However, I think the best thing about this production was the fact that they completely embraced the juxtaposition of the two halves. Pussyfooting around it can often result in a weird middle ground that doesn't work for either (as has been the case for other productions I've seen), but with Propeller's they had intense, haunting drama in the first half and proper, balls-out ridiculousness in the second, and I loved it. I've never seen such a polarised version of the play, and it was brilliant.

I was originally a little bit unsure about Robert Hands' Leontes, because his character is basically one of the biggest dickbags ever, and his suspicions hit so instantaneously that to play it more subtly kind of makes him seem like even more of a dick? I mean, the one I compare it to is Anthony Sher in the RSC version, who goes properly nuts with the accusations, so at first Hands' more restrained Leontes seemed wrong. BUT, thinking about it more and reading a couple of reviews made me like it, because it was more sinister and calculated - more knowing, maybe. And I like that. But regardless of how the character was interpreted, his delivery was brilliant.

I loved Vince Leigh's Paulina, and his performance in particular highlighted something I loved about the production as a whole: that, in the first half, none of the guys put on funny voices to be the women. It was all in the physicality, but it wasn't pantomime or stereotype. Brilliantly done. Paulina in particular is badass, and Leigh showed that really well.

Mamillius was done really well too, and I LOVED the way he was in the background for a lot of the scenes, witnessing the dissent and reacting to it - the breakdown scene was heartbreaking, and it makes it even more gut-wrenching when he dies.

Richard Dempsey's Hermione was one of the highlights of the show - he holds himself beautifully, and managed to capture the stalwart strength that I love about the character. I don't see her as resigned and passive, I see her as sure in her goodness and wise to the fact that having a fit about it won't make anything better, and he did that beautifully. The trial scene was incredible, with the microphone and us as the jury, augh.

Richard Dempsey as Hermione - credit: Manuel Harlan

The only thing I wasn't so keen on was the reaction to the Oracle - I always see that as the moment Leontes goes too far, to claim to know more than God, and I've always liked it to be properly shocking rather than played for laughs. But that's only a minor niggle.

THE BEAR! I was underwhelmed, but in a good way, I think. I expected ~A SPECTACLE~, because this is Propeller, but I liked the way it was done (particularly because it carried on the theme of the dolls that had been used throughout).

Final note about the first half, and back to the shallow end - THE SUITS. dsjahfgajhsgjhg such beautiful sartorial choices. Everyone looks good in a charcoal grey suit, particularly these guys.

AND THEN THE SECOND HALF.
OHHHH, THE SECOND HALF.

I knew I was in for a treat, having seen some of the production stills, but OH MY GOD. I hardly know where to start!

Everything was magnificent and preposterous and I loved every second. John Dougall as the Old Shepherd was so tenderly done, especially when he finds out about Perdita. Gorgeous. Karl Davies is just too cute for this life; the scene where Autolycus strips him is always one of my stand out favourites in any TWT production, and this one was SO GOOD - the physicality of it is so perfect, and there was a knitted g-string involved, so yeah. I really liked Tony Bell's Autolycus in general, and the decision to play him as a drunken waster rather that a quick-witted rapscallion - like nothing I've seen before. It makes him all the more cringey and ridiculous. 

The bit with the Young Shepherd, his shopping list and the sheep was INSPIRED, and I was howling throughout. The sheep in general were a fantastic addition, and The Bleatles! And Robert Hands' shimmying! Ohhhhh, this cast <3

Karl Davies as the Young Shepherd, and a sheep - credit: Manuel Harlan.

AND THEN
OH SWEET LORD

I can hardly even do coherency about the ballad. If I say the words 'Lloyd from the Demon Headmaster and Peter Pevensie from the BBC's Narnia series performed a Shakespearean ballad to the tune of Beyonce's Single Ladies, with dance routine', you'd think I'd entirely lost the plot, but I can assure you that I haven't. It was absolutely the highlight of the show, without a doubt. Both were balls-out ridiculous with it, which is the only way to be. A magnificent spectacle, and one which I shan't be forgetting in a while.

I absolutely fell in love with Perdita and Florizel. Ben Allen is ADORABLE and I want to see him in more things because his faaaace, but it was all about Finn Hanlon. SO DREAMY. EVEN IN WHITE JEANS. And then he sang and was so in love and kept touching Perdita's waist and sdjhfgajhsdgfaj. I was absolutely dying for them to make out, I cannot lie. But was thwarted, alas.

I loved the Polixenes/Camillo disguises, and the scene with Autolycus tricking the shepherds into thinking he was a gentleman. Even better was the bit where the shepherds get him back, and have the whole speech about being 'gentleman born these four hours' - always brilliant, and Karl Davies was rocking that blazer.

The ending is always a strange one, because you kind of have to suspend your disbelief for it anyway, but it was touching and beautifully staged, and Leontes' metamorphosis was wonderful. However, the stand-out moment of that section (perhaps the whole show, Single Ladies aside), was Vince Leigh's closing moment as Paulina. Every production I've seen has played the Paulina/Camillo thing for laughs and jollity - 'hurrah, everyone is happy now!', etc. - and it was a real punch in the gut to see her so heartbroken at the end, because everyone got everything they lost aside from her, and it's so, so sad. Perfect touch.