After the RSC's winter of discontent, Matthew Warchus has the chance to make a brighter spring by directing this new production of The Winter's Tale, Shakespeare's tale of tragic jealousy redeemed through art. It's part of the company's repertoire of late Shakespeare plays, to include The Tempest (directed by Michael Boyd in April) and Pericles (directed by Adrian Noble in June).
Who better to take the helm of the first in this trilogy than a big name director such as Warchus? He was recently appointed artistic director of that neglected theatrical flagship, the Old Vic, and has an exemplary record in the West End and on Broadway directing shows such as Yasmina Reza's Art.
Here he casts Douglas Hodge as Leontes the green-eyed Sicilian king and Anastasia Hille as his wronged queen whose daughter Perdita is despatched to Bohemia. Not only is this a promenade production, but Warchus has also set the whole shooting match in the USA with the northern states serving as Sicily and the southern states serving as Bohemia.
Finally, it's a big day for the Roundhouse as the company and production re-establish it as a major theatrical venue for the first time since its Seventies heyday.
