A WINTER'S TALE

Rose Theatre, Kidderminster

Until Saturday

A TALE of two halves awaits theatre-goers heading to see Shakespeare's fantastical play which generates radically different moods before and after the interval.

It charts how wholly irrational jealousy can consume man, ruin relationships and destroy families - and pave the way for years of tortured guilt and finally redemption.

Jamie Thompson does not put a foot wrong as Leontes, King of Sicilia, who tries to have his erstwhile friend the King of Bohemia, Polixenes, murdered because he suspects him of having an affair with his wife, Hermione.

His portrayal of coiled hatred - which only unravels when the queen collapses at her trial and their son Mamillius dies - followed by deep self-searching - is first class.

Anyone who tries to cure him of his "diseased opinion" is regarded as as guilty as the alleged perpetrator.

The scene shifts to the Bohemian countryside and the rustic home of Leontes' daughter Perdita - whom he was convinced was illegitimate and ordered to be sent away as a baby.

Singing, dancing and shepherds transform the atmosphere.

Paradoxically the action is set either side of the Second World War but the language remains Shakespearean.

A novel tactic in the second half is recounting the reunion of Leontes and Perdita through the eyes of lowlife "pressman" Autolychus.

Although almost three hours long, the play succeeds in holding the attention through an accomplished performance by the large cast.

FA