Theatre Review: The Winter’s Tale at Tobacco Factory Theatre

Photography by Charlie Swinbourne

Summary

Rating: ★★★★★
Running Dates: Thursday 20th February - Saturday 29th March 2025
Where to see it: Tobacco Factory Theatre
Duration: 2 hr 30 min (incl. interval)
Keywords: Turbulent, Intense, Love Story, Immersive

Review

A tale of jealousy, an overwhelming obsession and reconciliation, The Winters tale may have received mixed reviews over the years but it has been dusted off and executed perfectly by the Tobacco Factory Theatre.

The Winters Tale lays out the story of King Leontes and his wife Hermione, who he falsely accuses of infidelity with his closest friend, Polixanese. Gripped by obsession and unwilling to listen to any of his aids pleas, his daughter at merely hours old, is banished and sentenced to death. The play takes us through a roller-coaster of emotions, as Shakespeare often does, including heart wrenching despair, romance, hope and reconciliation.

The cast is bursting with talent and some familiar faces including Bill Ward (Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Everybody’s talking about Jamie), Alice Barclay (A Good Girls Guide to Murder, Casualty, Oliver Twist) and Felix Hayes (The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Friday Night Dinner). Most impressively, the full cast and production team come from within 25 miles of Bristol and is a true showcase of the talent the South West has to offer. The whole cast should be applauded for their performance but in particular, Felix Hayes made an outstanding King Leontes, showcasing his descent into jealous madness in a way I’ve not seen on stage or screen before. Rose Wardlaw’s raw and emotional performance as Paulina also made for compelling watching and at times had my eyes welling up as we felt her deep despair and anguish.

Photography by Charlie Swinbourne

The first half is intense and draws out the subject matter into longer, immersive scenes that at times can feel almost harrowing. Yet the second half opens with a riot of colour, music and dancing which is a stark but welcome contrast to how we left the first act. This is where we see the humour and fun of Shakespeare brought alive by the characters and as someone who isn’t well read on Shakespeare, came a welcome shock.

The intimacy of the iconic Tobacco Factory Theatre was a perfect setting for the play which at times made for challenging watching, not just due to the language but the intensity of the scenes and the subjects it broaches. As is usual with Tobacco Factory productions, the staging is simple as it is a circular stage with seating wrapped around it. Simple does not mean ineffective however, as the combination of costumes, lighting and music made us feel immersed in the world of out characters.

Not having seen any Shakespeare plays before, I hadn’t considered the play would be entirely in old English! Don’t let this put you off however, as although it may take a few minutes to get your head around, the electric performances of the cast translated the words into actions perfectly and it wasn’t long before we were immersed in the play with the rest of the audience.

A truly outstanding performance which brings to life perfectly the work of Shakespeare.

Stand out Quote or Moment: Rose Wardlaw as Paulina, in the first half puts on a phenomenal performance as she tries to convince Leontes to care for his newborn baby.

See If: You’d like to dip your toe into the word of Shakespeare for the first time or you are a seasoned Shakespeare theatre go-er! This is truly a show for everyone.
Last Impressions: A rollercoaster of emotions with an epic cast. I can’t wait to see more Shakespeare!

You can find tickets for the show here.

We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review.

Written by Megan Lee