The Winter's Tale - A Perfect Story for a Warm Weekend Afternoon

Imagine a breezy Saturday afternoon on the verdant lawn of the Concord Free Public Library. Its idyllic setting and cooling temperatures make a perfect backdrop for a tale of jealousy, irrational anger and betrayal.

Wait, what?

“Well, at least it doesn’t end with bodies strewn all over the stage,” says A Winter’s Tale director Mike Haddad, referencing Hamlet in his discussion of Concord Players’ annual Shakespeare production. “I don’t want to spoil the ending, but the spirit of the show fits in with the feelings of summer.”

A Winter’s Tale is the 7th Shakespeare production staged by the Concord Players on the library lawn, following last year’s very popular of Julius Caesar. “We’ve been lucky enough to keep a core group of the same actors almost since the beginning. If you’ve seen past shows, you’ll recognize many of our troupe members.”

A Winter’s Tale is the story of King Leontes, who becomes wrongly convinced that his pregnant wife is having an affair with and is carrying the child of his close friend Polixines. His raging jealousy leads to dire consequences. “It’s not commonly produced,” says Haddad. “But it’s one of my favorites. These characters will feel familiar to everyone,” one reason he chose a mid-20th century setting.

“We want to tell the story in all its richness, but it’s summer,” says co-producer Tom Sikina. “So we aim for a 90 minute script and limit the staging and effects to allow for the audience to imagine the setting.”

That’s a challenge with A Winter’s Tale. The most famous stage direction in all of Shakespeare’s plays is ‘exits, chased by a bear,’ difficult to stage in a summer production, but crucial to keep, because Shakespeare is exploring the themes of sleep and awakening on many levels. The action shifts between Leontes’ kingdom of Sicilia, and Polixines’ kingdom of Bohemia, over sixteen years, and features a cast of 17 actors, some in multiple roles. Jealousy, love, redemption and forgiveness are key themes of A Winter’s Tale, and Haddad has incorporated some of the more complex portions of the story, including a sheep shearing festival and a statue that is not what it seems. How will they handle it all, with minimal staging on the Library lawn?

“Come see the show and find out,” Haddad says with a grin. “Hey, it’s free!”

A Winter’s Tale will be performed on the lawn of the Concord Free Public Library on Saturday and Sunday July 27-28, and again the following weekend on August 3-4. Performances are free, and start at 5 PM. In addition, another performance will be held indoors at 51 Walden St on August 2 at 7:30 PM. For more details, visit www.concordplayers.org