Ruth Leon recommends… The Winter’s Tale – Royal Ballet

The Winter’s Tale – Royal Ballet

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 Here’s one you may have missed – I did. Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, Artistic Associate of The Royal Ballet, created his adaptation of Shakespeare’s late romance The Winter’s Tale for The Royal Ballet in 2014. It received ecstatic praise at its premiere, acclaimed by critics and audiences alike for its intelligent, distinctive and emotionally powerful story, told through exquisite dance. It is now widely judged to be a modern ballet classic.

The story follows the destruction of a marriage through consuming jealousy, the abandonment of a child and a seemingly hopeless love. Yet, through remorse and regret – and after a seemingly miraculous return to life – the ending is one of forgiveness and reconciliation.

It would certainly never have occurred to Shakespeare that his somewhat overwrought masterpiece might work better as a ballet. Good reason for that is that ballet, as we know it today, hadn’t been invented by 1611 when the play first hit the stage. Clever old Christopher Wheeldon had the insight to see that the play, one of Shakespeare’s late romances, never made sense in its original five-act form. But it’s perfect as a ballet. 
Danced by Ryonichi Hirano as Leontes, Lauren Cuthbertson as Hermione and Sarah Lamb as Perdita, this production is conducted by Tom Seligman at the Royal Opera House. With powerful designs by Bob Crowley and atmospheric music by Joby Talbot, The Winter’s Tale is a masterful modern narrative ballet.

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