Among Shakespeare’s fans, “Exit, pursued by a bear,” is one of those lines that delights. Yet, unlike “to be, or not to be,” it isn’t spoken—it’s a stage direction. It’s likely one of the only things most people know of The Winter’s Tale. A bear shows up and chases someone off the stage, which is honestly my favorite Shakespearean death. One of the Bard’s final works, it’s also one that, like Pericles and Cymbeline, isn’t done very often. With two diametrically opposed acts, it is also definitely one of his more experimental plays.
The Winter’s Tale
Through 4/20: Mon and Fri 7 PM, Sat 1 and 7 PM, Sun 1 PM; Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park, invictustheatreco.com, $25-$38
The Winter’s Tale is a tragicomedy of King Leontes (Michael Stejskal), who suddenly believes his pregnant wife Hermione (Andrea Uppling) had an affair with his friend King Polixenes (Raúl Alonso). From there, the story devolves into tragic chaos throughout act one, only to be met with a jarring 16-year time skip and genre hop to comedy in act two. Invictus Theatre’s ensemble, directed by Charles Askenaizer, does their utmost to make sense of this content whiplash, and melodramatics made too melodramatic at times, but those nearly three hours feel mighty long by the end.
The respite for weary winter travelers comes in this show’s charming use of music throughout (original score by Petter Wahlbäck), which is performed by several of the multifaceted actors, as well as in its trio of rustic bringers of joy—Chuck Munro, Kyle Quinlivan, and Sam Nachison. The standout is definitely Nachison as Autolycus, the con man who could give Harold Hill a run for his money.
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