As mid-November settled in, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s English Theatre and World Languages Department brought the Fall 2024 University Theatre production of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale to Givens Performing Arts Center’s main stage. Part comedy, tragedy, and romance, the “problem play” covers the gamut of emotions as a king acting impulsively in jealousy and rage destroys his world and then gets a surprise second chance at redemption and forgiveness. The strong cast was more than up for the challenge.
The Winter’s Tale’s first act follows the tragic actions of a paranoid King Leontes, driven mad with envy and jealousy over his pregnant queen’s innocent relationship with his visiting best friend King Polixenes. Scene by scene, Leontes destroys his family, exacting revenge upon the guiltless: He has Hermione killed, sends their newborn Perdita into exile, seeks the assassination of Polixenes, and loses his young son Mamillius. The second act of the play, however, turns to allow Leontes a magical second chance fourteen years later. Hermione has not died after all. Perdita is alive and well.
The minimalist staging, with tall, white curtains creating columns around the stage, and sparse costuming allowed for a focus on the actors and their rapid dialogue and action. Behind the large center column in the background, the moving shadow silhouette of Queen Hermoine’s tall statue raising its arms opened the play with a sense of foreboding as the action commenced.
Due to a rare, late drop-out in the cast, the play’s director and Director of Theatre and Professor Jonathan Drahos stepped in at the last minute to take the lead, King Leontes, with a commanding performance. “The show must on,” Drahos announced before the play began, and go on it did with a strong cast to carry it.