The Winter's Tale (TFANA)

See it if you have the patience to sit & attend closely to many difficult events & wait for the wonder to happen.

Don't see it if you don't believe miracles are possible.

Also “The Winter's Tale” is a famously strange play. But when a production gets it right, it’s "wonderful" as few plays are. I’ve seen a plethora of productions recently, 2 of them very good. But TFANA’s current production does 3 things more naturally & convincingly than any I’ve ever seen. Leontes' breathtaking, headlong descent into jealousy seems totally mad, yet perfectly understandable. The penultimate scene with its long meticulously wrought tale of offstage discovery & reconciliation, told by a few narrators who augment & qualify each other, is neither hacked to shreds nor mimed in dumbshow but is allowed to take its time & so unfurl its wonders in the long, rising, crescendo of a public conversation. The coming to life of the statue at the end, & the positioning of all the principal characters in spatial & psychic relation to that miraculous central metamorphosis have never seemed to me so perfect, & perfectly beautiful. (Kudos: Leontes, Hermione, Mamillius, Autolycus & the Clown.)... Read more Read less

See it if Shakespeare's romances with comedy, tragedy but with happy ending; a very funny Arnie Burton who interacts with audience; some great acting

Don't see it if you would find some over-the-top comedic acting annoying, want to understand each Shakespearean line or cannot handle almost 3 hours

Also Uneven acting but the actress that played Paulina (Mahira Kakkar) was amazing. She projected far more than the others and made her character a force to be reckoned with.
As much as I love Arnie Burton's work - in this case (a 3 hour show) it became a little annoying and it made the rest of the 2nd half in comparison really, really drag.... Read more Read less

See it if You are a completist and have a grave illness. You can nod off through the first act till the marginably better second.

Don't see it if You think all Shakespeare is gold, and don't want to be disabused of that curious idea. Likewise re: Arbus direction.

See it if An absurd play well acted and fancifully produced. Silly and serious simultaneously. Worth going to see.

Don't see it if you don't like oddball interpretations of Shakespeare, although I found this just delightful and a lot of fun.

See it if you enjoy even sub-par performances of Shakespeare, with occasional bright spots, just to compare different acting and directorial ideas

Don't see it if you find it painful to hear great passages of Shakespeare wasted or mishandled and with key roles miscast.

See it if you are willing to sit through banal "drama" just to experience great comic acting. The Bohemia frolic is quite wonderful. Nothing else is

Don't see it if you love Shakespeare and his language. There is no elocution or dramatic intensity. No passion no sense of relationship. Miscast misdirected

See it if You want to see the best Winter's Tale you've ever seen. It's hard to make this play work, and TFANA did just that. Wonderful!

Don't see it if Can't think of a single reason not to see it. If you love Shakespeare, go!

See it if Catch AWT done right-large & encompassing. Not a bad seat; you feel right up there w/them. Dialogue spoken & acted (mostly) really well.

Don't see it if I had prob w/some of the casting-I want my Leontes passionate & large (was short too!) & Hermione charming (need to care what happens 2 her)

Also Best Paulina I have EVER seen-takes it to a new level of importance.

See it if tfana via arin arbus is perfect for taking on the winter's tale. i esp loved the beautiful all-white set and kelley curran as hermione.

Don't see it if i wish the bohemia parts were as strong as the sicilia parts. i did not care for the actors playing perdita and florizel.

See it if you want to see one of Shakespeare’s strangest yet transcendent plays.

Don't see it if you’re a purist about the staging and casting of Shakespeare or are frustrated about not getting all the language when spoken rapidly.

Also Be aware that the actor playing the rogueish character Autolycus interacts with the audience (e.g., by going into the audience and goofing with a patron) and thereby takes you out of the world of the play, which can either be a death-blow or an enhancement to your experience.... Read more Read less

See it if This is Shakespeare’s problem play for a reason. While it is a bit disjointed the second act, staging, & comedy bits make it a enjoyable.

Don't see it if You hate the storyline & don’t want to see it in its original form or don’t like seeing actors interact with the audience.

See it if Autolycus, Hermione, Paulina - pretty much everyone besides the dude who plays Leontes does amazing work.

Don't see it if Leontes is up there acting alone with an easy to spot cadence, as if narrating his inner turmoil. V bad.

See it if One of Shakespeare's most delightful late romances - performed here in a crisp, clear production. Hits the humor throughout.

Don't see it if Perhaps stronger on the humor/rustics side than the pathos of the court, where some resonant moments were undercooked.

Also Well worth seeing if you're into Shakespeare.

See it if If you like one of shakespeares later fantastical romances, simply staged, great parts for women-actress playing paulina quite a force!

Don't see it if If you dont like shakespeare, and dont like the fantastical.

See it if you value Shakespeare in modern dress but true to story

Don't see it if you're an Elizabethan purist, but you'll be missing some very good performances

See it if You like your Shakespeare magnificently performed, especially a difficult play like THE WINTER’S TALE.

Don't see it if You don’t like a mixture of comedy and tragedy in one play.

See it if you are curious about how to stage a tragicomedy today and forget the tragic bits. With the exception of King Leontes, the acting is good

Don't see it if you get annoyed by excessive attempts at extracting a laugh when the play would be funny by itself. The bear is over the top.

Also The actor playing Leontes should consider changing career. Not believable in any emotion he should display and unable to recite lines following natural speech patterns. Excruciatingly bad.... Read more Read less

See it if you like shakespeare. The women in the cast are particularly strong.

Don't see it if you can't pay attention to a long shakespeare play. Comedic bits are milked rather than cut.

See it if you want to see a fresh and energized take on Shakespeare, while staying true to the text. This production is funny and well-staged.

Don't see it if you want very traditional Shakespeare.

See it if you support TFANA, see all Shakespeare and don't expect to be riveted and moved by the production.

Don't see it if expect to see a strong cast create the experience of beauty and magic overcoming the tragic elements. Want to be moved by the statue scene's

Also staging and poetry.

See it if you want to see a pretty good interpretation of Winter's Tale.

Don't see it if you have expectations for what it should be.

Also Winter's Tale is one of my favorite Shakespearean plays, so I was pleased by half of the play and disappointed by the rest. Some of the actors were phenomenal, especially those playing Paulina, Antigonus, Hermione, Autolycus, and Mopsa & Dorcas. I thought the actor playing Leontes was too small, as if acting for the screen instead of a large theater. The actor who played clown, as well, missed most of the comedic moments handed to him in the script, which was disappointing. Generally, I enjoyed the direction of the play, but I strongly disagree with the choice to make the bear a comedic moment. My friend who came with me didn't understand that Antigonus died because it was a funny fight. Comedy is inappropriate in a moment where a man tragically dies. We also need it to be serious in order to set up the Clown's retelling of the scene, which is comedic.
That aside, I loved the set design, which was very simple, but beautiful and served the play well. The large walls moving in was great.... Read more Read less

See it if you're interested in Shakespeare's less-common plays

Don't see it if you don't want to keep up with a complex plot

See it if You enjoy a good clown, it's your favorite shakespeare (like me), A+ DESIGN, you appreciate skillfully pulled off bold choices

Don't see it if you're a hater who's too cynical to get down with the story

Also I've never seen a production of this play where the Bohemia part was more interesting than the first half which is a testament to the clowns, autolycus, and the actors who did great stuff with the boring throwaway parts of perdita and florizel, and also a testament to the fact that despite their best efforts the wonderful hermione and *fierce as heck* paulina could not lift the drag of the pretty uninspired and boring leontes. but i still bawled like a baby and had a great time. also thought the big bold bear choices totally nailed it and brought me so much joy.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy Shakespeare, you're interested in seeing one of Shakespeare's lesser-known plays instead of the famous, overdone ones.

Don't see it if You're not a Shakespeare fan, you're expecting a purely happy ending, you want to see a famous Shakespearean play.

Also It's difficult to find the theatre; I went as part of a group from my college, and of 40 people arriving separately, 12 (over 25%) got lost on the way. Don't be afraid to ask for directions.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy updated staging of Shakespare, excellent ensemble work, great use of space, heartfelt performances.

Don't see it if you don't like Shakespeare and don't want to give an intelligent, readily understandable staging a try.