Review: THE WINTER'S TALE at Salt And Sage

Shakespeare's THE WINTER’S TALE is notoriously difficult to do well. One of the Bard's later "problem plays," it essentially presents two different theatrical worlds: the first half is a tragedy driven by King Leontes' sudden, irrational jealousy toward his pregnant wife Hermione and his Best Friend Polixenes. Despite protestations from everyone around him , even the oracle of Apollo, Leontes descends into paranoid rage with devastating consequences. Then, following a 16-year time jump, we find ourselves in the pastoral world of Bohemia, where shepherds prepare for a sheep-shearing festival, young lovers court, and a charming rogue named Autolycus picks pockets and sings songs.

The contrast between the two halves is stark, but that’s not the only challenge the play presents. Leontes must turn on a dime not once but twice, shifting from loving husband to jealous tyrant and then to repentant king. Perhaps most bizarrely, the resolution of the main conflict in part two happens offstage – we simply hear about it secondhand.

Director Asae Dean and Salt and Sage Theatre Company have discovered the secret: let great actors do the work. Paul Susi is wonderful as Leontes. The emotions pour out of him, making both the king's explosive rage and his later remorse equally convincing. Caitlin Nolan delivers a strong performance as Hermione's loyal friend Paulina, while Eliot Lorenc brings vibrant energy to the rascally Autolycus.

But these are merely highlights in what is a uniformly solid ensemble. The entire cast rises to meet Shakespeare's language, and it's this collective strength that makes this relatively simple production so effective. Harper York's costume design deserves special mention (there’s a pair of red shoes I still covet), which combines with Kyra Sanford’s set and Sophina Flores’s lighting to create visual richness.

This production wisely allows Shakespeare's words to take center stage so they can offer insights into universal human emotions: jealousy, rage, grief, and ultimately the possibility of forgiveness. And perhaps there's a timely lesson buried in there about the dangers of paranoid tyrant kings who refuse to listen to reason. In Salt and Sage's capable hands, THE WINTER’S TALE reminds us why this strange, beautiful play has endured.

THE WINTER’S TALE is running in repertory with Much Ado About Nothing through December 21. Performances are at Artists Repertory Theatre. Details and tickets here.