Word: perdita
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Kahn has assigned the roles of both Queen Hermione and her daughter Perdita to Maria Tucci. He is thus following the lead of Mary Anderson, who in 1887, two years before retiring at 30, made a great hit playing both parts. The doubling of roles was of course a commonplace in Shakespeare's company. The problem here is that Hermione and Perdita both appear together in the final scene. Although Perdita has only six lines, it is crucial for the harmony and symmetry of the ending that nobody be missing, that we see two middle-aged couples and one young...
...Florizel, Polixenes's teenage son and suitor of Perdita, Richard Backus is an attractive chap. But he is not at ease with classical poetic diction. One is constantly aware of listening to an actor mouthing lines rather than a person voicing thoughts...
...majesty of the two kings.) Jeremiah Riemer as the rogue Autolycus is a particularly entertaining miscreant and Robert Cohen is deft in the role of a faithful courtier. Other actors's readings are often engaging and effective--Charles Genrich's rustic Clearius and Eleni Constantine's dewy-eyed Perdita add sparkle to the humorous second portion of the play...
...sake of plot and to round out Shakespeare's theme of reconciliation, the play has to end in a courtly setting. Back in the kingdom of Sicilia, Leontes is reunited with his wife and his long-lost daughter, Perdita, Imagine the final scene: the persecuted queen is on a pedestal frozen in a statue pose. Enter Leontes with full court procession. Lo, the statue moves. Queen Hermione kisses Leontes, then embraces Perdita. Thus far, the sentiments seem as bogus as the stage mechanism. In answer to the general call for "light libations," all the company extras stream onstage from different...
...large cast, only Dana Ferry as Hermione's lady and Sarah Stearns as Perdita match Leigh Wood's exceptional performance. Carol Potter as Hermione was extremely attractive but a bit pompous, Jason Kanter's inspired portrayal of Autoclycus made the pastoral segments less dull. The rest of the company showed admirable enthusiasm...