Seasonal Shakespeare

Finally, some time for Shakespeare!  Granted, that meant that this week's post is two days later than usual.  Last night was the big-screen presentation of The Winter's Tale, courtesy of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company and the Garrick Theatre.  It was another among the many terrific works brought to audiences by Fathom Events.

I have to get the negativity out of the way first.  The show was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.  The curtain did not rise until 8 p.m., though.  For thirty minutes it was credit screens and an overhead shot of the theatre audience, with a Kenneth Branagh narrated introduction thrown in the middle.  While the introduction was interesting, it could have been shown promptly at 7:30 p.m. or before.  There really is no reason that a show should not start at the scheduled time.  (And really.  8 p.m. EST is 1 a.m. GMT.  Why is this advertised as "live" theatre?  Is a performance really being staged in London at 1 a.m.?)

Another minor issue was the cinematography.  The play was shot in 16:9 Cinemascope.  It gave this viewer a constrained, claustrophobic feeling.  While the extreme wide angle was good to capture all of the lateral action, losing the top and bottom of the frame did give it a tight perspective.  It could have been better with more height and less width.

There.  On to the acting, which was excellent!  Kenneth Branagh as Leontes was the slimiest, most wretched villain I have seen in a while.  Branagh played it absolutely to the hilt--at once pitiable and detestable.  The tragedy portion of the play, which covered the first half of the performance, was at times difficult to watch.  The interval was much needed, if only to catch one's breath and to get some relief from having to see Leontes mistreat his family.  Judy Dench as Paulina and Miranda Raison as Hermione were additional stand-out performances.

The second half of the play, the pastoral comedy portion, seemed to drag a bit.  (That could have been due to the late start and the twenty-minute interval.)  Once the main cast was all reassembled for the climax of the play, though, the action picked up.  The final scene, with the appearance of the statue of Hermione, was well done.  It was suitably emotional and not emotive.  The audience was left with the feeling of a happy ending...as long as they forgot that because of Leontes, Mamillius is still dead.

Overall, it was a very pleasant evening at the cinema.  I was impressed with the quality of Branagh's company, minor production issues notwithstanding.  The troupe will present Romeo and Juliet next year (as we were reminded repeatedly throughout the previews and interval).  Although it's a long way off, it is one more performance that I will hope to see.