'The Winter's Tale' is not one of the very best plays of William Shakespeare, a master playwright and one of history's most important, with one of his more improbable plots. It is still though a charmer, has interesting characters difficult to portray in some cases, has Shakespeare's usual mastery of language and has emotional impact. To me, even when Shakespeare was not at his very best there was still an awful lot to admire.
Have seen a lot of very worthy productions of 'The Winter's Tale' and this 2018 Shakespeare Globe production is one of them. Actually thought it was very good and often great, with very little wrong. There are better Shakespeare Globe productions available on DVD, such as 2013's 'Twelfth Night', 2016's 'The Merchant of Venice' and both parts of 'Henry IV', but all of them are worth a look and a vast majority of them above good and the best outstanding.
As said, there is very little wrong, but the scene with the bear (the most problematic Shakespeare stage direction in 'The Winter's Tale' and one of his most fiendishly difficult to nail) was very clumsily done and somewhat amateurish visually. Will admit to not being surprised to be honest, as that exit has very rarely been nailed.
Did also think that the climactic jig was a little overblown choreographically, looking more Broadway than Elizabethan.
However, there is a lot to recommend. All the performances are excellent, with Sirine Saba being a standout. Priyanga Burford shines in her interaction with Will Keen as an searingly intense if occasionally a little neurotic Leontes. The character interaction always compels and is beautifully detailed, not just between Keen and Burford but Saba's reaction to the unveiling of Hermione's statue was very telling indeed.
While not traditional, the production values are still tasteful and also thought the use of costumes, with the colour schemes representing lightness and darkness, was clever. The stage direction is never too simplistic, while always being easy to follow. It was really seeing both the lighter and darker sides of the play present when a lot of production take either a lighter approach or the darker one, rarely are both approaches attempted and as successfully as here. Failing only with the bear exit. The comedy is genuinely funny and not clownish or overdone and the more dramatic moments have real poignant emotion and intensity.
Concluding, very good with so many great things. 8/10.
