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The Winter's Tale

“Though I am not naturally honest, I am sometimes so by chance.”

The Lyceum returns to the Shakespearian canon with acclaimed director Max Webster (King Lear with Michael Pennington; Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare's Globe) presenting a uniquely Scottish take on this bitter-sweet masterpiece.

When King Leontes suspects his wife Hermione of adultery his jealousy tears the kingdom apart. The queen is banished and believed dead, while their daughter Perdita is abandoned among simple shepherd folk. Passionate tragedy interweaves with pastoral comedy, leading to one of Shakespeare’s most magical and moving denouements.


The critical consensus

Perhaps with several more runs, the company will be firing on all cylinders, but as it stands now the Lyceum’s production is a terrific looking production that feels a bit start-and-stop in its dramatic action, making for an effective production that is nevertheless too long.

***(*)(*)Michael Cox, Across the Arts, 19/02/2017

While the shifts in tone and setting can be off-putting, there is a commendable clarity in the storytelling that is echoed by a series of committed performances. In the end, it still adds up to less than the sum of its parts, however considerable those may be.

***(*)(*)Hugh Simpson, All Edinburgh Theatre, 15/12/2016

Scottish writer James Robertson has translated selected scenes in this ravishingly lit and superbly designed production of Shakespeare’s play.

*****Mark Fisher, The Guardian, 15/02/2017

It is the crumpled gravitas that looms large over John Michie's Leontes, however, that dominates.

****(*)Neil Cooper, Coffee-Table Notes, 15/02/2017

The play’s ending and its message of fairy tale hope beyond life’s harsh realities also redeem this overlong production.

***(*)(*)Irene Brown, Edinburgh Guide, 15/02/2017

In some senses it works very well.

***(*)(*)Simon Thompson, WhatsOnStage, 15/02/2017

As this winter draws to a close, go and see The Winter’s Tale – it’s a contemporary Scottish treat.

*****Ben Reiss, Plays to See, 16/02/2017

But for a jarring and wholly unnecessary change of tack at the start of Act Two, the Lyceum have a stylish, contemporary Scottish Shakespeare on their hands here with this production, directed by Max Webster.

****(*)Robert Peacock, TVBomb, 15/02/2017

Even Max Webster's thoughtful direction can't rescue an ill-structured script.

***(*)(*)Gareth K Vile, The List, 16/02/2017

t’s left to the leads to restore emotional integrity to this notoriously fragmented tale.

***(*)(*)Allan Radcliffe, 17/02/2017

The Royal Lyceum production is an unusual and certainly memorable reimagining that makes for a thought-provoking evening at the theatre.

***(*)(*)S.E. Webster, The Reviews Hub, 15/02/2017

Thankfully, this new Royal Lyceum production, directed by Max Webster, knows when to be bold.

****(*)Paul F Cockburn, Broadway Baby, 20/02/2017

The performances are good and Macrae’s music comes into its own in the excellent second half.

Mark Brown, Scottish Stage, 22/02/2017

By turning weaknesses into strengths and modernising the play for a contemporary Scottish audience, the team elevate The Winter’s Tale into a thoroughly enjoyable winter’s evening.

****(*)Jonny Sweet, The Skinny, 23/02/2017


Features about The Winter's Tale

Two very different Winter's Tales

Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman, 24/01/2017

Max Webster's take on The Winter's Tale comes with an energising vision.

Gareth K Vile, The List, 26/01/2017

Where and when?

Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh from Friday February 10, 2017, until Saturday March 4, 2017. More info: www.lyceum.org.uk

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