Great Lakes Theater’s production of “The Winter’s Tale” has it all
William Shakespeare began his theatrical writing career in his late 20s. For two decades he delivered 38 masterpieces that encompassed life in England in the 1700s. His works included rollicking comedies, insightful history plays and deep feeling tragedies that continue to resonate over four centuries after they were penned.
As he approached his late 40s his works became more introspective. While he was still portraying the king in his plays as guano loco there was an element of eventual forgiveness and acceptance. “The Winter’s Tale” having first seen stage air in 1611 runs a gamut of emotions from domestic bliss to wrongly accused infidelity to reconciliation. It also includes a 16 year time gap, a statue coming to life, betrayal and accusations, lost love and friendship, death, despair and the most interesting stage direction of “Exit, pursued by a bear”.
Leontes (Nick Steen), the King of Sicily has been entertaining his boyhood friend, Polixenes (Derek Garza), the King of Bohemia for the past nine months. With this prolonged visit Polixenes yearns for his own kingdom and makes plans to return home to tend to his royal duties and to see his young son. While Leontes is unable to persuade his friend to stay longer while a very pregnant Queen Hermione (Gina Daniels) is able to convince him to stay.
With the ease that Hermione is able to convince Polixenes, Leontes begins to think that the two have been having an affair and that Polixenes is the father of Hermione’s soon to be born child. Leontes orders his high ranking aid Camillo (Matthew Wright) to poison Polixenes who instead warns the Bohemian King and the two escape to that country.
This throws Leontes into a rage as he accuses his wife of treason and infidelity and that the child she is bearing is Polixenes’ bastard. Hermione is imprisoned in spite of the protests of his nobles. Two lords, Cleomenes (Janiyah ‘Jai’ McAllister) and Dion (Ethan Flanagan) are dispatched to the Oracle at Delphos to confirm Leontes suspicions. While this trip is underway, the Queen gives birth in prison to a girl who is handed over to her friend Paulina (Laura Perrotta) to take to the King in order to soften his heart.
This has the opposite effect with Leontes ordering Lord Antigonus (Ian Gould), Paulina’s husband, to take the baby to a desolate place and leave it there to die. Meanwhile, Cleomenes and Dion return with a sealed scroll from the Oracle stating that Hermione and Polixenes are innocent, Camillo is an honest man and that Leontes will have no heir until his lost daughter is found. This further enrages the King who does not believe the Oracle. Word then comes that his young son Mamillius (Theo Lally or Dylan Lee Tanks) has died from illness caused by his hearing of the accusations against his mother. At this news Hermione faints and is carried away by Paulina who then reports to the King that the Queen has died. This breaks Leontes who vows to spend his life atoning for the loss of his son, daughter and queen. Antigonus ends up on the coast of Bohemia with the baby whom he abandons with a note stating the girl’s name, Perdita who grows up to her teen years (Janiyah ‘Jai’ McAllister). Antigonus leaves a fardel (a bundle of gold and trinkets signifying royal birth). A sudden storm ends up wrecking the ship that had brought Antigonus to Bohemia as the man is chased off and killed by a bear. Perdita is rescued by a shepherd and his son known as “Clown” (Jodi Dominick).
The first thing you notice about this extraordinary cast is that nearly each member has at least two roles. Mathew Wright appears as Camillo and Mariner. Gina Daniels is on stage as Hermione and Mopsa. Jodi Dominic plays both Emilia and Clown. Janiyah “Jai” McAllister is seen as Cleomenes and Perdita. Ethan Flanagan portrays Dion as well as Florizel. Laura Perrotta switches between Paulina and Dorcas. There is Ian Gould bouncing between the four roles of Antigonus, Old Sheppard, Magistrate and Valenitine. Lastly there is Nick Steen as Leontes and Bear...yes, that bear. All do an amazing job.
The subdued set with its muted colors is from William Boles with Rick Martin doing the phenomenal lighting. Jane Shaw handles the sound with crisply mic’d actors and atmospheric sounds. The elaborate costuming is the gift of Alex Jaeger. The show is brilliantly directed by Tracy Young who also adapted the work.
While not one of Shakespeare’s most notable or for that matter performed works, Cleveland audiences will enjoy the superb theatrical romp that combines comedy, tragedy, death deceit, madness and reconciliation. Patrons of the Globe loved it back in the day and you will love it now.
The Great Lakes Theater production of “The Winter’s Tale” will be onstage at the Hanna Theatre located at 2067 E. 14th Street, Cleveland, Ohio at Playhouse Square through October 11, 2026. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.greatlakestheater.org/ or call (216) 241-6000.
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