Sam Mendes stages the work, the second installment of the Bridge Project, which also includes the ongoing staging of The Cherry Orchard. A collaboration between BAM, The Old Vic and Sam Mendes' Neal Street Productions, The Winter's Tale began performances Feb. 10 and runs in repertory with Cherry Orchard through March 8. The Winter's Tale features Simon Russell Beale as Leontes, Sinead Cusack as Paulina, Rebecca Hall as Hermione, Richard Easton as Old Shepherd/Time, Josh Hamilton as Polixene, Ethan Hawke as Autolycus and Paul Jesson as Camilo.
Completing the company are Aaron Krohn, Dakin Matthews, Mark Nelson, Hannah Stokely, Michael Braun, Selina Cadell, Morven Christie, Charlotte Parry, Gary Powell, Tobias Segal and Jessica Pollert Smith.
The work, equal parts psychological drama and comedic farce, is billed as a "magical testament to the follies of hasty judgment and the force of love as a means of redemption."
Designing the Bridge Project works are Anthony Ward (set design), Catherine Zuber (costume design), Paul Pyant (lighting design), Paul Arditti (sound design) and Mark Bennett (music). Shrek choreographer Josh Prince choreographs with musical direction by Dan Lipton.
Following the BAM engagement, the Bridge Project company will play the Singapore Repertory Theatre, Auckland New Zealand's EDGE Performing Arts Centre, Madrid's Teatro Español and Germany's Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen, before arriving at The Old Vic in London for a May–August 2009 run.
For tickets and further information phone (718) 636-4100 or visit www.BAM.org.