OFS Studio, Tue 12th - Sat 16th December 2006

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Ed Blagrove December 19, 2006

The Winter's Tale is not often performed. Maybe because it is a strange combination of the comic and tragic, or maybe because it is hard to pull off and there is easier Shakespearean fodder out there? Tomahawk have been brave, and they pull it off! The set is interesting and the performances of a high standard. For me it is hard to look further than Alex Nicholls' first half performance and Bill Moulford's second half one. Nicholls delivers Shakspeare with wonderful precision and true understanding of his text! Well done.

Moulford's performance is a classic depiction of how Shakespeare can be modified for any time period and context if played the right way! The only thing letting it down was the fact that you could see the actors walking around stage left and distracting from the action, and some of the younger performers were a lot better at acting than reacting but these are mere niggles in what was a wonderful evening at the theatre! Well done Tomahawk, you deserve a very merry Christmas!!

Having never seen The Winters Tale performed live, Tomahawk's well-edited version of this Shakespeare comedy was all in all a wonderful night at the theatre for me.

Opening with the mysterious character of 'Time' (Jessica Butcher), the play's initial mood was one of solemnity and a foreshadowing of the dark and jealous first half of the play that was to be dominated by the well controlled performance of Alex Nicholls in the role of Leontes. The shift in moods from dark to comic was brought in spectacularly in the second half with the brilliant portrayal of Autolycus (Bill Moulford, who stole the show with his shifting between characters).

True to their aim of presenting young talent in Oxfordshire, Florizel, one of the lovers of the play, was strongly played by Tom Bateman (17 years old) who fitted well into the cast of mature and experienced actors. All in all, A Winter's Tale was an enjoyable evening, one that would easily prompt me into seeing their next production.

A. Welder 27 Dec 2006

The last Shakespeare play I saw in Oxford was A Midsummer Night's Dream, al fresco, on a hot August night at the Harcourt Arboretum, so it seemed rather apt that The Winter's Tale was performed on a windy and rainy December evening, in the rather more cosy confines of the Old Fire Station. What's more, the opening night was a sell out.

In their own words, Tomahawk are 'a dynamic theatre company dedicated to promoting creative talent in Oxford,' so what would they make of Shakespeare's melodramatic portrayal of uncontrollable jealousy and its consequences? In my opinion they did pretty well.

The set is kept basic: a black and white timber-style backboard, a step and a couple of stage blocks are all that are used throughout the entire performance. The lighting is used to great effect as a scene setter; lots of dappled winter light and shades of blue for mood.

The story revolves around the outrageous actions of Leontes, well played by a wiry and manic Alex Nicholls. So totally consumed by jealous suspicion, he is convinced that his wife Hermione (a delicate performance by Porsha Fermanis) is carrying a baby sired by his friend Polixenes.

His spiralling condition leads him to throw his wife in jail for treason, and to instigate the poisoning of Polixenes ­(who later escapes), the death of his beloved son, the supposed death of his wife and the banishing of his new born baby girl. To top that, his behaviour drives his courtiers and all around him nuts. You wouldn¹t get all this in a modern soap!

The Winter's Tale is a portrait of a man in crisis, and the frustration felt by those who love and serve him. It is a deep study of jealousy, in which the victim knows he is trapped in a prison but can't escape, let alone rewind the tape. Kate Sandow's performance as the mediating and reasoning Paulina, was, I felt, one of the strongest of the night, so fantastic was her stage presence.

The cast sport modern, urban costumes which seem to work with the set even though the Lords and Kings look like they've acquired a job lot of 1970s bus conductor jackets.

I found the second half infinitely more lively; the acting and timing just seemed to gel better. It takes us to the adoptive home of Leontes' long lost daughter Perdita (sweetly portrayed by Grace Mountain) during a sheep shearing festival, where we get lots of colourful action including a kind of hoe-down. Alistair Nunn gives a good and animated performance as the Young Shepherd, but Bill Moulford's pick-pocketing scally Autolycus absolutely steals the second half.

Time, played, or should I say sung, by Jessica Butcher, appears at intervals throughout the performance, speaking almost as the voice of conscience. I loved the scene where a grieving and destroyed Leontes is slumped centre stage, while she sings a haunting rendition of 'I Get Along Without You Very Well.' It was so powerful that I felt sorry for this broken tyrant.

The final reconciliation scene is superbly delivered and very moving, so although some bits of the performance were a bit rough around the edges, on the whole Tomahawk's rendition of The Winter's Tale warmed up a chilly evening.

Nadine Mills 13 Dec 2006

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