It takes a brave director to tackle one of Shakespeare’s darker themed plays and try and sell it as a family friendly comedy, but Red Rose Chain’s Jo Carrick has never been one to baulk at a challenge.
And as an open air summer theatre in the glorious setting of the Sutton Hoo woods, The Winter’s Tale almost works.
Suffolk theatre company Red Rose Chain has been performing open air summer Shakespeare for a number of years, originally in Rendlesham forest, then moving to Jimmy’s Farm on the outskirts of Ipswich and now, since last year, based on the National Trust estate where Basil Brown and Edith Pretty famously unearthed Anglo-Saxon king Redwald’s buried boat and treasure.
But having over that time covered all of the Bard’s comedies, they are now onto the more serious works, of which The Winter’s Tale is probably one of the strangest mixes, being one half tragedy and one half romantic comedy with (unusually for Will’s tragedies) a happy ending.
But back to this production. The setting is superb, and the (mainly young) front of house staff made the audience feel incredibly welcome and part of the experience as they arrived for the performance. The stage is set with the woods as a backdrop, making it very atmospheric, and the whole cast are excellent, playing a number of roles as well as musical instruments and working really well as a team to create a traditional Shakespearian feel to the whole thing.
Especially to be noted is Vincent Moisy, a very strident Leontes with lots of energy and stage presence, well matched by Jack Spencer as his royal counterpart and friend- turned-enemy Polixenes. Ailis Duff is wonderful as Paulina and the Old Shepherd, and Emily Jane Kerr shows her versatility by playing the wronged Hermione and the comedy part of Autolycus.
For Shakespeare aficionados, this is a real treat. This rarely performed play is probably one of the most well-crafted and deeply meaningful of his works, written as it was later in his life when he was at the height of his creative powers. It verges between tragedy and comedy in a whirlwind of emotive scenes that have much to say about love, jealously and the dangers of misused power and uncontrolled anger. And this production is well staged, well acted and the addition of original songs and some well-crafted puppets in the gradually dimming lights of an evening in a real forest make it an experience to be savoured.
But a couple of dancing sheep and the briefest outing of a bear a family friendly comedy does not make. Especially as the production is also two and a half hours long. The dark themes of this play including adultery, infanticide and death are not suitable subjects for under-12s, and the unabridged speeches and intricate plot do not make it a child friendly experience.
So I wholeheartedly recommend it for adults and over-12s, but not for younger children. It might put them off Shakespeare for good—and that would be a tragedy all of its own.