It had been raining off and on for several days. The air was thick and the sky slightly grey. Yet in the distance, there was a patch of blue. Fingers crossed, we set out for the second Free Shakespeare in the Park play of the summer season. Rarely have performances been canceled, despite inclement weather over the program’s six decade history.

The production was The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare’s story of a jealous all-powerful king. Despite no tangible evidence, King Leontes, portrayed by a intense Raul Esparza, becomes suspicious of his childhood friend King Polixenes ((Gilbert Owuor) who has been visiting with him for several months. Leontes determines that he and his pregnant wife, Hermione (wondrous Lily Rabe) have committed adultery. Leontes becomes uncontrollably angry and tasks his councillor Camilo (Teagle F. Bougere) to kill his friend. Torn between his loyalty and the realization that the king is mistaken, Camilo tells Polixenes and the two flee to Bohemia, Polixenes’ kingdom.

Convinced his wife has aided their escape and plans to overthrow him, Leontes accuses his wife of treason and imprisons her, while awaiting word from the oracle as to her guilt or innocence. While in prison, she gives birth to a daughter, Perdita. Leontes refuses to acknowledge the child as his daughter and orders Antigonus, one of his men and Paulina’s husband, to bring it to the woods and burn it.
And this is only the first hour and a half!

The story contains a bit of mythology with references to Apollo and his oracle as well as familiar Shakespearean tropes including disguised characters, runaway lovers, a prophecy and flawed royal protagonists.

As befitting the outdoor venue, the settings by Maruti Evans are simple yet evocative. Leontes’s kingdom with white doors and trees is stark and barren and feels wintry, despite the warm and muggy summer night. In contrast, the shepherd's home is a large platform of green with flowers and plants, colorful and festive. Many directors modernize the time period and clothing of Shakespearean plays. Yet Linda Cho’s costumes are classic, suggesting authenticity.

The ensemble of performers, many familiar faces at the Public, is one of the best assembled here in a long while. Esparza is emotional and fiery. His anger is palpable as his voice rises and one can feel the violence, almost making you want to back away from him.

Steven Skybell plays a dual role, first as Antigonus, and later Autolycus, a trickster and conman. He’s a talented singer as well as an actor. Veteran actor Chuck Cooper plays the Old Shepherd who discovers a foundling child and raises her as his own. The two provide mirth and warmth. Autolycus and the Old Shepherd also offer much-needed comic relief, reducing the intense emotional temperature of the second half of the play.

The Winter’s Tale features strong female characters and the talented women do the roles justice. As Herminone, Lily Rabe is superb. In the last scene of the first act, as she protests her innocence, she grows hoarse and limp, pleading her case.

Marsha Stephanie Blake is Paulina, Herminone’s friend. She’s strong and no nonsense, telling the king the truth even as he is ordering her out. I half-expected the audience to stop the show, to applaud her speech.

The rest of the supporting cast is fine and undoubtedly will become regulars. Some of them are familiar from TV roles; others are making their debuts. The young lovers are played by Isabela Ferrer and Daniel Kyri, making their Public debuts.

Like other Shakespeare plays, The Winter’s Tale is long and a bit complicated, but, fortunately, there is a brief synopsis in the Playbill. Surely talented director Daniel Sullivan could have trimmed the show by cutting down some of the party and the dance scenes (choreography by Mimi Lieber). Yet few in the theater complained or seemed disgruntled.

What was there to complain about? The lucky audience members who scored free tickets had a glorious night with stars shining in the sky as well as on stage. On that evening, they joined the more than 6,000,000 people as part of an iconic New York tradition - Free Shakespeare in the Park.