LA Review: 'The Winter's Tale'

Half tragedy, half comedy, with a bear, an oracle, a magical statue, and generous portions of fairy tale and farce, "The Winter's Tale" is strange enough to have earned a long-standing reputation as one of Shakespeare's "problem plays." Even so, Independent Shakespeare Co. has pulled off a relatively problem-free production that makes for a very pleasant evening in Griffith Park.

The play begins under dark circumstances. Polixenes, the king of Bohemia, has been visiting the Sicilian king, Leontes, and his pregnant wife, Hermione, when Leontes, paranoid and jealous, begins to suspect that Hermione and Polixenes are having an affair. Unwilling to listen to reason, Leontes orders Polixenes to be killed and Hermione jailed. Polixenes escapes to Bohemia, and Hermione gives birth to a daughter in prison. Rather than killing the baby, who he believes is not his own, Leontes has her cast out. The infant is taken to the Bohemian wilderness, where the servant charged with the task of abandoning her is eaten by a bear (though this production disappointingly omits the bear's onstage appearance).

The second half takes place 16 years later in Bohemia during much happier times. The baby, Perdita, has grown up in the care of a local shepherd and coincidentally fallen in love with Polixenes' son, Prince Florizel, in disguise as a commoner. With the help of a scheming con man, everyone makes it back to Sicilia in time for a very Shakespearian happy ending.

All of the tension in the first half revolves around Leontes, but David Melville makes the odd choice to play the king's hostile speeches for laughs, giving his Sicilian king a fussy, affected quality rather than making him a threatening figure. In most instances Melville's choices undermine the gravity of the situations onstage. The actor lost the audience's confidence when he dropped a line and recovered from the situation with neither grace nor professionalism.

Fortunately, there are many other characters in "The Winter's Tale," and this production has several noteworthy performances. As Hermione, Melissa Chalsma transitions convincingly from a confident queen "not prone to weeping" to a pitifully broken woman defending her honor in court. As Hermione's friend Paulina, Bernadette Sullivan is spot-on, delivering biting words with brazen humor. Danny Campbell and André Martin add charming comic relief to the show as the shepherd and his son, creating a jovial rapport. In a show-stealing performance, Sean Pritchett gets the most laughs of anyone as the suave con man Autolicus. The cleverly staged scene in which he picks the young shepherd's pockets and his behavior posing as a nobleman are memorably hilarious.

Sanford Robbins' clean, natural staging is the work of a seasoned director. Under his leadership, the actors keep their energy high and their lines audible, maintaining a brisk pacing that holds the audience's attention despite the inevitable distractions of outdoor theater. Caitlin Lainoff's simple set is beautifully painted and appropriately wintery, complemented by Garry Lennon's perfect costumes, which lend a fairy-tale aesthetic to the show.

Overall, this is an enjoyable "Winter's Tale," made even more so by the summer evening and the free admission.

Presented by Independent Shakespeare Co. as part of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park, near 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, L.A. June 28–July 29. Schedule varies. For information, (818) 710-6306 or www.iscla.org.