The Winter’s Tale

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Winter’s Tale Noel Sloboda The Winter’s Tale Presented by the Harrisburg Shakespeare Company at Reservoir Park, Harrisburg, PA. 3–18 June 2022. Directed by Clark Nicholson. Costume design by Jennifer Kilander. Movement by Kim Greenawalt. Scenic design by Andrew Nyberg. With Christopher Ellis (Camillo), Aaron Bomar/Philip Wheeler (Antigonus), Michael James Kacey/Clark Nicholson (Polixenes), F. L. Henley, Jr. (Leontes), Erika Eberly (Hermione), Zahar Georgievskiy (Mamillius), Jenni Chavis (Paulina), Jeff Wasileski (Shepherd), Josh Miccio (Clown), Joel Colvin (Autolycus), Jimmy Kohlmann (Florizel), Sydney Crutcher (Perdita), and others. From sirens to fireworks, from locusts to rain showers, unexpected challenges can seriously impact outdoor theater. This is something members of the Harrisburg Shakespeare Company know well after having put on twenty-eight previous productions at Reservoir Park. However, the primary challenges faced by the troupe on the evening I saw its latest version of The Winter’s Tale can happen both indoors and outdoors, and such challenges are far more likely to crop up during the era of COVID-19 than in years past. A preshow announcement stated that two regular cast members were unavailable due to illness. The role of Antigonus was to be [End Page 560] performed by stand-in Philip Wheeler (a regular in many Gamut productions), while the role of Polixenes was to be performed by the show’s director, Clark Nicholson. Wheeler was off book, with perfect blocking, and he inhabited the part of the Sicilian counselor as comfortably as if he had been rehearsing it for months. As the king of Bohemia, Nicholson needed to refer to a script—understandably, perhaps, since his attention had lately been occupied by coordinating everything else. Yet this minor distraction was easy to overlook given Nicholson’s confident delivery and contagious energy. Indeed, he even took part in a raucous dance that was part of a Bohemian sheep-shearing festival, kicking up his feet in a country jig while clutching a script to his breast. The rest of the cast came forward with comparable spirit and commitment, though some performers had better results than others. The first half of the show revolved around Leontes (F. L. Henley, Jr.), whose irrational wrath propelled the action forward. As the Sicilian king visited misery upon courtiers, confidantes, and family members, Henley presented Leontes as physically unwell. He suffered from a fever that made him wheeze, sweat, and mop his brow with a handkerchief, perhaps to suggest a physiological explanation for the king’s delusions about being cuckolded. It got so bad for Leontes that at one point he vomited and collapsed, remaining off his feet for several minutes. As the king’s illness worsened and his visions of infidelity grew more intense, his costume came undone: the monarch had lost his jacket and wore his shirt untucked by the time Hermione was to be judged by the oracle from Delphi. In another nice touch related to the appearance of Leontes, the “sword” he asked Antigonus to swear by (2.3.166) and jabbed in the air to punctuate rants was just a dagger. In fact, it looked very much like the dagger borne by his son Mamillius, played by a fourth grader (Zahar Georgievskiy). By implication, the monarch had the maturity level of a child and was far less in command than he believed, even if his delusions would have far-reaching consequences. Henley was not quite as successful in conveying nuance as ire. His tirades started at an extremely high pitch, infused with venom teetering on madness from the opening scenes. This gave him little room in which to maneuver or to develop his character. He was more successful in texturing the king in the second half of the play, when he conveyed a full range of emotions. After losing his son and wife, Leontes was subdued, replacing his sword (dagger) with a cane, diminished but now healthy, the fever burned out of him. Leontes was also plainly ashamed of what he had done, often hanging his head and keeping his voice low, though [End Page 561] he regained some animation at the recovery of his daughter and then his wife. For her part, Erika Eberly as Hermione...