Review: The Winter’s Tale

The RSC is a trademark known around the world. It is a mark of quality. When the company was last in Yorkshire, with Julius Caesar last year, it was a stunning piece of work that served only to enhance the reputation of the RSC.

The quality on show in the latest tour does not match that, but perhaps the issue is that the RSC is measured by more stringent standards than others. When you’re the best in the world at presenting Shakespeare, anything less than perfection could be deemed a failure. This production is not a failure, but nor is it perfect. Lucy Bailey’s take on one of Shakespeare’s ‘problem plays’ has enough in it to be enjoyable and enough to make it something to be recommended. The problem is that it is not of the absolute highest standard.

The Winter’s Tale is a mish-mash of styles, Shakespeare at his most schizophrenic, with a first act set in a world that appears to bear no relation to the second act. Both have plenty in them to keep an audience interested, but that the reset button appears to be hit during the interval perhaps contributes to the feeling that this is an over-long production that meanders through the story rather than telling it with a pace and energy that holds the interest. The performances are universally impressive, it’s just that here, the play is the problem.

To Mar 23.