Admit it \u2014 you\u2019ve always wanted to see this done live, right? Well, now\u2019s your chance. And when it\u2019s over, the bear will loom large in your memory, but so will the rest of the American Shakespeare Center\u2019s brilliant production of Shakespeare\u2019s The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em>. Director Raphael Emmanuel makes the most of this exotic play with its international setting, and gives its characters a contemporary, truly soulful twist.<\/p>\n From the minute the cast dives into the preshow tunes, with Marvin Gaye\u2019s immortal \u201cI Heard It Through the Grapevine,\u201d you\u2019ll find yourself immersed in a world of familiar emotions \u2014 jealousy, hatred, regret \u2014 and the emotional pitch, toggling as it does between tragedy and comedy, remains high throughout. This is a play that, confusing on the page, must be seen live to be enjoyed, and the ASC\u2019s repertory company navigates its many twists and turns with great skill indeed.<\/p>\n Anchoring our journey is the royal couple of Sicilia, Leontes \u2014 the bold, forceful Jordan Friend \u2014 and his queen Hermione \u2014 played with grace and profound emotion by Raven Lorraine. When Leontes suspects his pregnant wife has been sleeping with his best friend, Bohemian King Polixenes (the cool, measured L James), and that her baby-to-be might not be his own, Leontes erupts into a jealous rage of the kind we know too well.<\/p>\n Leontes\u2019 must trusted aides \u2014 Antigonus and Paulina \u2014 make a strong argument for Hermione\u2019s innocence, and Angela Iannone and Sara J. Griffin are standouts for their gravitas and their passion for justice. And Hermione\u2019s statement <\/em>\u2014 this is not a plea, it\u2019s a statement \u2014 of her innocence is moving in its simplicity; Lorraine\u2019s delivery is one of the pivotal moments here.<\/p>\n This being set in pre-Christian times, the oracle of the god Apollo at Delphi is consulted; and this being a play, the trip from Sicilia to Greece and back takes minutes rather than months. And when Leontes rejects the god\u2019s judgment, divine vengeance takes its toll on him with equal speed. His rage is converted instantly to grief and bottomless regret, and the rest of the play deals with the question of whether and how he can atone and perhaps reconcile with his beloved wife.<\/p>\n The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em> is a sprawling story that toggles back and forth between a staid, proper Sicilia and a hip, somewhat hazily conceived Bohemia (i.e., it ain\u2019t got no sea ports, and it sure ain\u2019t got no navy; it\u2019s landlocked \u2014 look it up). Emmanuel saves the visual delights of this production for our journey to his African-American take on Bohemia, with the balcony decked out in vinyl LPs and paintings unfurled along the railings inspired by Jacob Lawrence (be sure to look up his amazing work before you go).<\/p>\n Once in Bohemia, you\u2019ll also find that costume designer Elizabeth Wislar has pulled out the stops with some of the most exotic, Eastern European\u2013inspired pieces you\u2019ll see this side of Appalachia. She creates a feast for the eyes to match the words and actions.<\/p>\n Bohemia proves as carefree and hilarious as Sicilia is dark and brooding, and it is here that the virtuosity of two of the ASC\u2019s players is proven beyond a doubt. For no sooner has Raven Lorraine\u2019s stately Hermione (apparently) died than she wanders into the audience as an Old Shepherd. The same actress who, moments ago, nearly brought you to tears now has you laughing your tail off with her antics and her thick, thick accent.<\/p>\n Joining her in her funny business is Angela Iannone, who likewise makes that astonishing switch that only true actors can make; one minute she holds the stage as Leontes\u2019 chief of staff Antigonus, and the next she is the hickest of hicks, rivaling Lorraine in the thickness of her dialect and her talent for physical comedy. It is these two bumpkins who discover Hermione\u2019s doomed baby, complete with letters detailing her true identity \u2014 Perdita, princess of Sicilia \u2014 and who proceed to live pretty high on the hog with the gold that has been left with that baby.<\/p>\n Since the play requires some 16 years to resolve itself, Shakespeare introduces the character of Time, who, decked in a blazing yellow zoot suit, informs us he\u2019s going to just tip over that hourglass for us. Geoffrey Warren Barnes II gives us this brash showman, and re-enters soon after as the rascal Autolycus, whose thieving habits unintentionally resolve a lot of the plot\u2019s issues.<\/p>\n A romance ensues in Bohemia between Prince Florizel (the solid Komi M. Gbeblewou) and the now-grown, seemingly common shepherd\u2019s daughter, Perdita (gracefully played by Corrie Green). This plot twist, of course, creates new complications that can only be resolved through Shakespeare\u2019s traditional twists and turns.<\/p>\n Among the many pleasures of any ASC production is the musical pre-show and intermission, with songs that suit the themes of The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em> in a very contemporary way. We get treated to a slide guitar, played skillfully by Jordan Friend as he sings Wolf Parade\u2019s \u201cGrounds for Divorce\u201d (as fitting a tune for Leontes as can be). And there is also ample room to tip the hat toward Harlem, with Fats Waller\u2019s \u201cAin\u2019t Misbehavin,\u201d while Cole Porter\u2019s \u201cWhat Is This Thing Called Love?\u201d made immortal by Ella Fitzgerald, sets the tone for the play\u2019s denouement.<\/p>\n Shakespeare\u2019s later plays were, dramatically and geographically, all over the map; and The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em> is designed to astonish you with its virtuosity; he pulls it off, of course, but only because the ASC\u2019s repertory company knows how it\u2019s done. This production will take you on an emotional rollercoaster, which, with its theme of unfounded suspicion, reflects in interesting ways on our own times. Well worth the journey, both the play and Staunton, Virginia, itself.<\/p>\n On a personal note: It\u2019s always inspiring to see how the ASC opens its doors to aspiring young artists, and on the night I was there, I got to see the next generation of stage performers, many of them sitting on the stage and taking part in the action. ASC hosts two Theatre Camps for teenagers, and each year the camps are grouped around specific plays and themes (this year it\u2019s the history plays!). Have a look at this year\u2019s program here<\/a>, and think of a special young person in your life who might get a kick out of a three-week, residential intensive!<\/p>\n And if you\u2019re just a touch beyond your teenage years, as (ahem<\/em>) I might be, do not despair; the ASC also offers week-long \u201cNo Kidding\u201d workshops for adults, where you can do a crash course in the unique Blackfriars techniques of performing Shakespeare. The more mature among you may wish to visit here as well<\/a>.<\/p>\n Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission.<\/p>\n The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/strong><\/em><\/a> plays through August 2, 2025, in repertory with Sense and Sensibility<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/a>(through August 2), presented by American Shakespeare Center<\/a> at the Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 South Market Street, Staunton, VA. For tickets (starting at $39), call the box office at (540) 851-3400 or purchase them online<\/a>. <\/strong>ASC also offers a Local Rush deal of 50% off tickets on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Learn more here.<\/a><\/p>\n The summer program is online here.<\/a><\/p>\n Cast and artistic team credits for The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em>\u00a0are online here<\/a>\u00a0(scroll down).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/DSC0203-800x600-1.jpeg\")
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