National Theatre at Home: Some Woman

The Winter’s Tale is Shakespeare’s great play of the irrational and inexplicable, illustrating how uncontrollable emotions can range across gender, country, class and age. Its universe is full of monsters, gods and natural disasters with a colossal sweep that takes audiences from the stifling atmosphere of the Sicilian court to the unbuttoned joy of a Bohemian festival. Staged at the beautiful and iconic Globe Theatre in London, this new production is directed by Blanche McIntyre and stars Will Keen (The Crown, Wolf Hall) as Leontes, Priyanga Burford (W1A, Marcella) as Hermione and Annette Badland (East Enders, Father Brown) as Old Shepherd.

Disgraced poet Ted Wallace is summoned to his friend's country manor to investigate a series of unexplained miracles.

Basing his plot on a farce by Plautus, Shakespeare caps the mayhem of his Roman original to build up a hectic tale of violent cross-purposes, furious slapstick and social nightmare.

Two men meet at a funeral. Benny is a loner anchored by his wife and children. Gil longs to fulfil his potential. They form a deep bond but as cracks appear in their fragile lives they start to realise that true courage comes in different forms.

The decay of Rome reaches violent depths in Shakespeareas most bloody play. Titus is a ruler exhausted by war and loss, who relinquishes power but leaves Rome in disorder. Rape, cannibalism and severed body parts fill the moral void at the heart of this corrupt society. Shakespeareas gory revenge tragedy presents us with murder as entertainment, and, as the body count piles up, poses questions about the nature of sexuality, family, class and society.

Low-born Helena is convinced that she and the high-born Bertram are meant to be. Bertram does not, so he runs off to fight in the Italian wars with his "#bff" Parolles, where he meets Diana. The lopsided love triangle all comes crashing down when the two women meet and devise a diabolical plan.