Making sense of Bard’s ‘Tale’

Widely considered one of the “problem plays,” Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” has baffled generations of interpreters. How, for example, does one reconcile the dark drama of the first three acts with the disjointed comic elements of the latter scenes?

It’s a bizarre disconnect that leaves “Tale” dangling midway between a tragedy and a pastoral romance. Whatever was Shakespeare thinking? Director Geoff Elliott goes a long way toward unraveling the mystery in his fittingly shadowy staging at A Noise Within, which favors the play’s haunting psychological elements while minimizing its illogicality.

Elliott updates the play to the late 1800s, a time when the monarchies of Europe were being battered by the rising tide of egalitarianism. It’s a fitting setting, considering the abrupt transition of Leontes (Elliott), king of Sicilia, from sage stability to paranoiac intransigence. Leontes accuses his virtuous queen, Hermione (Jill Hill), of consorting with his once-trusted friend Polixenes (Stephen Rockwell), king of Bohemia. After Polixenes escapes back to Bohemia, Leontes orders his pregnant wife arrested and their newborn daughter cast into the wastes.

As the story jumps 16 years ahead in time, we learn that Leontes’ daughter Perdita (Alison Elliott) isn’t dead but is living among the simple shepherd folk who raised her. And, as we later realize, in one of the most unlikely and contrived denouements in the Shakespearean canon, reports of Hermione’s demise have also been greatly exaggerated.

Contributing to the somber mood, violinist Endre Balogh performs live original music, while Peter Gottlieb’s lighting shifts from the grim to the glaring with striking effect.

Among the excellent cast, Deborah Strang shines as Paulina, a fiery dame who speaks her mind and fears no man. Uniformly thoughtful performances, combined with Elliott’s muted naturalism, ensure that this is a “Tale” well told.

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‘The Winter’s Tale’

Where: A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale

When: See www.anoisewithin.org for schedule

Ends: Dec. 8

Price: $36 to $40

Contact: (818) 240-0910, Ext. 1

Running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes