We're all familiar with "Romeo and Juliet," "Hamlet," and "Macbeth." So getting a rare taste of one of Shakespeare's B-side works, "The Winter's Tale," puts the renowned playwright in an entirely new light.
UB's production of "The Winter's Tale" will run Nov. 17 through Nov. 20 at the Drama Theatre in the Center for the Arts.
Distinguished UB Professor Saul Elkin's rendition of the rare play explores relationships, conflicts and emotions in the most true-to-life way possible, putting an ancient tale in modern context.
As the founder of the "Shakespeare in the Park" series, Elkin is enamored with Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale." This is his fourth time directing the play, having opened "Shakespeare in the Park" with it and used the work for the festival's 15th and 25th anniversaries.
"It tells a human story of marriage and the relationship between parents and children," Elkin said. "There is a level of reality in the relationships that strikes me. I am moved by what I find in the play."
"The Winter's Tale" is a play that defies genre. It is one of Shakespeare's most highly regarded "tragicomedies," taking the audience on an emotional ride.
Leontes, King of Sicilia, tries to poison his best friend Polixenes after he suspects that he is having an affair with his wife. The wife gives birth to their son while in prison, and torn families and rousing events based on hearsay ensue, with an uplifting finale.
In order to connect his audience with the production, Elkin plays upon feelings to which a modern audience can relate. It takes talent to present a play written in Elizabethan English and still communicate the emotion that Shakespeare intended, but Elkin nails it.
"The Winter's Tale" is rarely performed on stage, making the director's interpretation that much more striking.
Elkin uses an original musical score, written by Tom Makar, to highlight sentiment in the production. The music takes the form of a movie score. It presents itself to help an actor capture an emotion.
The costumes are also entirely new. In an attempt to bridge the gap between ancient Italy and modern-day America, Elkin uses contemporary clothing to bring scenes to life. Characters are transformed over the 16 years in which the story takes place, starting with modest '40s attire and ending with a hippie wardrobe accented by brightly colored stockings and peasant skirts.
"The music and the colors bring out the emotion of the scene," Elkin said.
Like Elkin, the cast and crew are riveted by Shakespeare's ability to form characters and relationships through the script. Although written in the 1600s, so much of the drama in "The Winter's Tale" is applicable to today's world that student actors are able to easily connect with the characters.
Amber Abdella, a theater major who plays Queen Hermione, is excited to perform the lead in her second Shakespearean play.
"Shakespeare is brilliant and I am honored to play a part in any of his plays," Abdella said. "My character is really cool. I am actually going to age 16 years and be a statue that comes to life."
This will be Abdella's third play at UB and her second under Elkin's direction.
Elkin even cut some of the text in an effort to modernize the work. Though he insists he has not changed the play, he shortened a few lines to accommodate a contemporary audience's inability to sit through a play longer than two and a half hours.
Making an antiquated play work for a present-day audience will be no small accomplishment, but it seems success cannot be far off for Elkin and his cast.
Tickets are $16 general admission and $8 for students. The show will be performed Nov. 17-19 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.
