The Bard Returns to the CRT Stage with THE WINTER'S TALE, 3/22-4/1

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will present William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, March 22 – April 1 in the Studio Theatre, Storrs. For tickets and information, call 860-486-4226 or visit www.crt.uconn.edu.

According to press notes, jealousy, rage, intrigue, love, revenge and comic mishaps abound in one of Shakespeare's most intriguingly plotted plays. The king of Sicily suspects his best friend of having an illicit love affair with his wife, the queen. In a fit of jealous revenge, the king orders his wife to prison and sends his infant daughter far from home into exile in Bohemia.

The play opens with King Leontes of Sicilia begging his childhood friend, King Polixenes of Bohemia, to extend his nine month visit. When he fails, Leontes' pregnant wife Hermione steps in and successfully convinces Polixenes to stay. Suspecting they are lovers and consumed by jealousy, Leontes orders his loyal retainer, Camillo, to poison the Bohemian king. Instead, Camillo warns Polixenes of the danger and they both flee to Bohemia.

When Leontes discovers their escape, he furiously accuses his wife of infidelity and treason. Hermione is sent to prison where she gives birth to a girl she names Perdita.  Lady Paulina brings the child to Leontes hoping he will have a change of heart but, infuriated, he orders Paulina's husband Antigonus to take the child away and abandon it. The Oracle at Delphi declares that Hermione and Polixenes are innocent and that until Leontes' lost daughter is found he will have no heir. Leontes ignores the Oracle and soon discovers that Leontes' son Mamillius is dead. Upon hearing the news, Hermione dies of a broken heart. 

Meanwhile, Antigonus abandons the baby on the Bohemian coast and is then killed by a bear. Sixteen years pass and Polixenes' son, Prince Florizel, falls in love with Perdita who has been raised as a Shepherdess. The king forbids the union and they escape to Sicilia with the aid of Camillo with Polixenes hot on their heels. In Sicilia, the still-mourning Leontes is reunited with his daughter.

Artistic Director Vincent J. Cardinal said, "The Winter's Tale offers CRT audiences a unique opportunity to be part of an epic romance set in the intimacy of the Studio Theater."

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