What if Shakespeare’s Leontes had been a woman and Hermione a man? Would the story be different or, in crucial ways, the same? What can we learn about the original work, and gender attitudes then and now, by exploring a gender-switched version?
This modern adaptation transforms The Winter’s Tale into an LA fable of desperate celebrity and shallow glamour, as Nessa, a fading Hollywood diva clutching at power and consumed with jealousy, descends into obsession and revenge.
This large-cast play remains essentially true to the core emotional themes, meter, and structural bones of The Winter’s Tale while adapting its momentous leading role for a woman and supplying a contemporary twist at the end. With Nessa always surrounded by her sycophantic entourage and army of PR advisors, there are also many and varied supporting roles on offer.
Expandable chorus required.