The Winter's Tale - A Nottingham Shakespeare Company Production

Taking a seat, the lights dim, and the audience is told that the show will commence in a few moments. The cover of my notebook is flicked back, exposing the naked front page waiting to be imprinted with a scribble of opinions, and the cap of my biro is pressed firmly on the opposite end. But even as the show begins, I know my page will stay blank, my pen limply resting in my hand - I simply cannot tare my eyes away from the stage.

The Nottingham Shakespeare Company's production of The Winter's Tale was completely captivating, compelling and enthralling. Despite the unconventional venue of a church, making my earlier use of 'stage' metaphorical, the performance worked to entirely transform my experience, so that, even though there was no royal court, no sea voyage or ship full of crew members, and no wilderness in which to be pursued by a bear, I felt that I saw them all.

From the start of the performance, the role of Time as puppet master of the production was clear, and actor Alastair Fiori-McPhee superbly portrayed this enigmatic, manipulative and quietly sinister role - a unique character addition made by the company. The clever staging of each scene gave Time an omnipresence which furthered his control over much of the tragedy in the first half of the performance and created a sense of continuity when beginning the contrasting comedy of the second half. Watching this ominous, almost sub-human presence crawl behind the front veil of action throughout was entirely engaging, and rather thrilling.

The role of Paulina, another vibrant character in the production, was not only an effective guidepost amidst the spiralling tragedy and chaotic comedy of the show, but was completely empowering to watch. Played by Michelle-Louise Wright, the loyal noblewoman Paulina serves as the voice of reason and morality, and spoke with such strength and conviction that even Time seemed to cower in her presence; speaking the unbridled truth to the corrupt King Leontes, played brilliantly by Warren Saunders, and continuing to rightfully condemn him for his crimes, Paulina echoed with the courage and anger of her fellow Shakespearean women, mirroring the powerful characters of Emilia and Desdemona from Othello.

The company were effective in establishing the importance of the, albeit fewer, female roles in The Winter's Tale, and the character of Hermione was just as brilliantly potent. The great female crime of adultery, with which a Shakespearean audience was much concerned, was hauntingly evoked by Kate-Lynn Du Plessis' performance of Hermione, with the harrowing scene of her imprisonment and trial striking a chord of female persecution and vengeance - heightened further by the poignantly clear communication of her previous labour in the costume design by Kate Lewis. Much like the staging of Time, the choice to leave Hermione's 'statue' present throughout the events of the second half of the performance was excellently poetic and especially moving, particularly as she watched the budding romance of her lost daughter Perdita, and helped to reinforce a sense of continuity.

The character of the lost princess, Perdita, played by Kate Lewis, was brilliantly balanced in sensibility and naivety, with her simple peasant attitude perfectly at odds with her innate royal grace, heightening the tense dramatic irony of the audience. The life of Perdita amongst the shepherd-folk was beautifully shadowed by the death of Antigonus, the brave courtier who sacrificed himself for the infant princess, whose gentle manner and intrinsic kindness were naturally conveyed by actor Mark Townley, and expertly separated from his portrayal of the fun trickster Autolycus in the comedic half of the show.

Alongside such excellent characterisation from the cast as a whole, the company's design and costume choices worked to balance the tragedy and comedy of the respective halves of the performance. From the clever representation of Hermione's pregnancy, to the amazing, and surprisingly terrifying, design of the bear, the Nottingham Shakespeare Company's production effectively teased at the key motifs of The Winter's Tale, whilst still remaining simple and readable to audiences. Overall, the company's performance of this tragicomedy was exceptional, highly engaging, and easy to understand at any level of Shakespearean knowledge - if you have the chance to catch this show, I highly recommend that you do, to support a local company doing amazing things, and enjoy a truly inspirational and moving performance.