With Two Minutes to Spare

I am shallow. To a certain extent, I admit that I am shallow. So when I saw the cast and crew of Winter's Tale by the Bridge Project, I went straight ahead to buy the tickets without a second thought. I mean, how often does one see Ethan Hawke on stage or Rebecca Hall (Vicky from Vicky Christina Barcelona) being directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) in the Esplanade?

Winter's Tale is a Shakespearean play about Leontes, King of Sicilia, and Polixenes, the King of Bohemia. Being childhood friends, Polixenes visits the kingdom of Sicilia and catches up with his old friend. But due to Leontes's misguided jealousy, he accuses his queen, Hermione(Rebecca Hall), of having an affair with Polixenes and is actually carrying his bastard child. Polixenes manages to escape, while Hermione is imprisoned, gives birth and later dies.

The child, a baby girl, was abandoned and later adopted by a shepherd. Time passes and the girl named Perdita falls in love with Florizel, Polixenes' son. Polixenes objects to the marriage, the young couple flee to Sicilia unknowing of Perdita's heritage. Eventually, with help from a rogue named Autolycus(Ethan Hawke), Perdita's heritage is revealed and she reunites with her father. The kings reconciled and approve of Florizel and Perdita's marriage. While they all go to see a statue of Hermione, the statue comes to life and is then revealed to be the real Hermione, who went into hiding.

I was late with only 15 minutes to spare to run across 3-4 buildings before reaching the theater amidst mobs of people on the streets. I was in my typical high heels, black dress, trying not to pop a boob or fall on my ass as I half-stumble half-run to the Esplanade. Un-glamorously, I made it to the entrance, with 2 minutes to get seated and the show started. Phew...

The first few acts of the show was heavy, really heavy. A king's dramatic fall in paranoia, a queen driven to a corner. There was alot of room for overacting or really pushing the play into a very dark direction which thankfully did not happen. I thought that Rebecca Hall carried the first part of the play well, she used her body language effectively. Full of love evolving to disbelief, feminine and maternal, channeling earth goddess.

The second half of the play took a lighter direction with the young lovers meeting and running away. Family and friends who finally reunite. Ethan Hawke as the rogue who pulls the loose strings together like the hand of fate, channels more of a singing Captain Jack Sparrow with a guitar. Charismatic and brilliant, but Rebecca Hall really got my attention this time.



There was a Question and Answer session afterwards with the cast, nothing truly serious, lots of Ethan Hawke groupies and young students all angling to get a look.