A traditional staging of the Shakespearean tragedy

With Dame Judi Dench and Sir Kenneth Branagh having sold out at the Garrick with their production of this Shakespeare classic, Bard fans can rejoice as the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse presents The Winter's Tale, starring Niamh Cusack and Rachael Stirling from the end of January! Helmed by Michael Longhurst, this production will be one of the last to be staged courtesy of outgoing artistic director Dominic Dromgoole.

Staged in the historically accurate Wanamaker Playhouse, see how the play was made to be performed, with the intimate candlelit setting giving you a true feel of the story.

What is it about?

A haunting tale of jealousy, betrayal and ultimate redemption, The Winter's Tale follows the fortunes of King Leontes of Sicilia and his childhood friend, the Bohemian king Polixenes. Leontes is possessed by a sudden and paranoid feeling that Polixenes has seduced his wife Hermione, and suspects that her unborn baby isn't his. Consumed by fury, he orders his manservant Camillo to poison Polixenes; instead, he warns the target, and the two flee. Meanwhile, Hermione is thrown into prison under her husband's suspicion of treason.

When the newborn girl finally arrives, Leontes' is still convinced that he isn't her father and orders his daughter to be abandoned to the Fates. Sixteen long years pass and the baby Perdita is raised by a kindly shepherd. Leontes learns from the Delphi Oracle that his wife was innocent and that the baby was his; he mourns his rash actions and tries to make amends for his evil. However in a twist of fate, he is reunited with his long-lost daughter, and finally receives the deliverance he has been looking for.