The winter's tale - William Shakespeare

The Winter's Tale takes us on an extraordinary journey. King Leontes falls prey to an inexplicable jealousy of his wife Hermione; it causes her (apparent) death and the (actual) death of his young son Mamillius. Sixteen years of repentance, supervised by Paulina, lead to scenes of reunion and reconciliation - but without concealing the cost in human terms. This is a slightly shortened version of the text of The Winter's Tale as printed in the First Folio of Shakespeare's works (1623). The opening sequence, divided between various voices, and the first half of Scene Twelve, draw upon, and re-shape, the more extended versions of the original.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English dramatist, poet, and actor, generally regarded as the greatest playwright of all time.

Hall's staging has a dazed, dreamlike quality - The production has a spell-binding beauty to it
Financial Times

Lively and inventive - The production fully conveys the play's pastoral comedy. Indeed, there are moments where it threatens to turn into a stage version of a bucolic musical festival - Glastonbury with more wildlife... there are laughs aplenty
Evening Standard

This production is great fun... The light-hearted Bohemian scenes lead to Shakespeare's truly magical ending, guaranteeing that everyone will leave the theatre with a smile on their faces.
British Theatre Guide