'The Winter's Tale' Off-Broadway review — Lily Rabe and Raúl Esparza expertly lead a rare Shakespeare revival

Read our review of the Shakespeare in the Park production of The Winter's Tale off Broadway, presented by The Public Theater at the Delacorte Theater.

Summary

• The Winter's Tale is a Shakespeare play about a ruler who wrongly suspects his wife of infidelity and sets off a chain of events that lead to both love and apparent death
• Raúl Esparza and Lily Rabe excel in the lead roles
• The play runs almost 3.5 hours including an intermission
• The Shakespeare in the Park production is recommended for fans of comedy-dramas and the actors' other work

Major mood swings are woven into The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare’s late-career work that winds from domestic tragedy to youthful romance to roguish comedy to reconciliation, with a wink of magic added for good measure. It’s a total mixed bag, which is why it’s been called a “problem play.”

And yet, except for a middle section that outlasts its welcome, director Daniel Sullivan’s open-air Shakespeare in the Park revival lands without big problems. Led by Tony Award-nominated aces Raúl Esparza and Lily Rabe, the straight-up and satisfying staging has much to admire across nearly 3.5 hours: persuasive performances, meaningful visuals, and deep emotions.

Othello-ish jealousy jump-starts the story. In Sicilia (conceived as a bleached white landscape of bare trees and permafrost by set designer Maruti Evans), King Leontes (Esparza) wrongly accuses his pregnant wife, Hermione (Rabe), of cheating with his good pal Polixines, King of Bohemia (Gilbert Owuor).

As Leontes whips up a blizzard of woe, Esparza nails a man becoming unhinged while Rabe makes us feel Herminone’s anguish. Pleas by court members Antigonus (Steven Skybell) and his wife Paulina (Marsha Stephanie Blake, invaluable) to makes things right go unheeded.

Leontes and Hermione’s young son Mamillius (Matthew Eby) dies from the traumatic events, and it seems that she does too. Their newborn daughter, Perdita, is dumped in a far-off land, where she’s raised by an elderly shepherd (Chuck Cooper).

Flash-forward 16 years. In Bohemia, where lush gardens and love bloom, Perdita (Isabela Ferrer) has fallen for Polixines’s son, Florizel (Daniel Kyri). A party with music and dancing, choreographed by Mimi Lieber, celebrates them.

Meanwhile, the wily schemer and rascal Autolycus (Skybell, again) helps push the young couple back to a remorseful Leontes — but not before this subplot stretches thin.

The climax of the show revolves around a statue of Hermione and seemingly wondrous reanimation. So, there are questions. Was she actually really dead? How can Rabe stay so still? In the end, the closing reunion could and should have better explored possible fallout from Leontes’s false accusations. After all, happy endings can be complex.

Still, you’d have to be made of stone to be unmoved by this cautionary tale that saves space for hope. We need it in any season.

The Winter’s Tale summary

Suspecting his pregnant wife guilty of adultery with his best friend, a ruler sets off destructive events that lead to her apparent death and the exile of their newborn daughter. Tragedy eventually yields to lighter events in this 400-year-old play that defies easy categorizing. Shakespeare in the Park previously presented the play in 1963 and in 2010.

What to expect at The Winter’s Tale

“Too hot,” Leontes snaps — and it’s not about the weather, but about how close his wife and BFF have become. Things snowball disastrously from there. The story of an irrational man wreaking deadly havoc around him has an evergreen resonance.

“Exit, pursued by a bear” is a famous stage direction in the play accompanying Antigonus’s forced abandonment of baby Perdita. Shadow puppetry by James Ortiz brings this moment to life in theatrical fashion. The eyewitness account by the old shepherd’s son about how the beast dined on the noble fills in the grim details.

Time looms large in the play. Clock numerals appear on the circular stage as one reminder. In another smart move, Matthew Eby, who plays Mamillius, doubles as the character of time. You can’t outrun it and can never get it back.

What audiences are saying about The Winter’s Tale

On the Mezzanine, a theatre review and tracking app, theatregoers have shared mixed responses to the show.

• “Decent production, but the play itself is at best annoying. Definitely not one of the Bard’s best.” - Mezzanine user Geoffrey Glick
• “Half a point off for the underwhelming bear. Otherwise, perfection.” - Mezzanine user Alexandra Aceves
• “Acting was 10/10 across the board, but nobody should be subjected to a 3.5-hour outdoors live theater in grueling heat and outrageous humidity.” - Mezzanine user kat c
• “Wow, so beautiful!! I was really struck by how in so many of Shakespeare’s plays the devout and brave woman is always discarded by the insecure man.” - Mezzanine user Cat Sheehan
• “Love a classic mother-daughter reunion (especially when she’s first presented to you as a marble statue). - Mezzanine user Lihong Chan

Who should see The Winter’s Tale

• Fans of Raúl Esparza and Lily Rabe on stage and off will want to see them tackle Shakespeare's juicy roles.
• Shakespeare aficionados won’t want to miss director Daniel Sullivan’s take on the play, particularly the tone of the reconciliation.
• Audiences who appreciate outdoor theatre will savor seeing the play at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park and appreciate how nearby Belvedere Castle fits into the settings of the story.

Learn more about The Winter’s Tale off Broadway

Running about 3.5 hours, The Winter’s Tale is a long sit, but a pair of powerful star turns and expert supporting performances make this work worth it.

Learn more about The Winter's Tale on New York Theatre Guide. The Winter's Tale is at the Delacorte Theater through August 23.

Photo credit: The Winter's Tale off Broadway. (Photos by Joan Marcus)