Leontes (Greg Hicks), whose paranoia is second only to Othello’s and more irrational, suspects his pregnant wife has committed adultery with his best friend and refuses to accept the oracle’s judgment that she is totally innocent. The enormity of his blasphemy and the rage of the gods are symbolized in David Farr’s production by the dramatic collapse of the huge floor-to-ceiling bookshelves; the books come crashing down from a great height and the stage is strewn with debris, which, oddly, remains when the action moves from Sicilia to Bohemia.
The final scene with the statue of Hermione coming to life – one of Shakespeare’s most magical moments – has the inestimable advantage of Kelly Hunter’s long-held and steadfast statuesque poise; but the attempts to liven up the pastoral scenes with some crude priapic gambols will not impress anybody who remembers the clog-dancing satyrs in Tony Harrison’s The Trackers of Oxyrhynus at the National Theatre.
The most famous stage direction in Shakespeare is ‘Exit pursued by a bear.’ Here the bear is represented by a towering papier mâché puppet into whose arms Antigonus nobly rushes in order that the bear eat him rather than the baby.