Pericles is a tale of sea-journeys, of storms and pirates, and – above all – of love lost and found. The play's action takes place at sea and in six cities of the eastern Mediterranean. It provided great opportunities for both spectacle and music, which have become the hallmarks of Abbey Shakespeare Players productions.

A man whom both the waters and the wind
In that vast tennis court hath made the ball
For them to play upon…
— Pericles Act II Sc 1

Pericles was one of Shakespeare's most popular plays in his own lifetime. Yet for many years it was not performed. Recently a number of productions have shown what a gripping and moving work it is – especially in its depiction of the relationships between Pericles, his wife Thaisa and his daughter Marina.

This is the rarest dream that e'er dull sleep
Did mock sad fools withal: this cannot be…
— Pericles Act V Sc 1

Pericles is the first of Shakespeare's late romances. In these plays the leading characters suffer numerous misadventures before ultimately achieving happiness. The Abbey Shakespeare Players have already performed the other late romances – The Winter's Tale (1992), The Tempest (1997) and Cymbeline (1998) – with great success.