Charlene Baldridge | Downtown News

Two kings, a pregnant queen, an infamous bear (”exit, pursued by …”), a storm to put “Lear” to shame, almost enough metronomes to satisfy Györgi Ligeti, a bunch of Bohemian bumpkins, and a child appropriately named Perdita — add to these one king’s catastrophic jealous rage, a pronouncement from the Oracle at Delphi, and two of Shakespeare’s strongest women, and you have “The Winter’s Tale” as staged by Barry Edelstein, a noted Shakespeare scholar and director who became Globe artistic director just a year ago.

Admittedly this writer’s favorite Shakespeare romance, the play is set in motion by the jealous rage of Sicilia’s King Leontes (film and TV star Billy Campbell), who suspects that his queen, Hermione (Natacha Roi), and their houseguest, Bohemia’s King Polixenes (Paul Michael Valley), are having an affair, and further, that the child she carries almost to term is not his but Polixenes’. Leontes orders Camillo (Cornell Womack) to kill the Bohemian king, and Camillo, sensing the wrong-headedness of this, flees and takes Polixenes with him.

In addition to Hermione, Shakespeare’s other strong woman is the fierce courtier Paulina (Angel Desai), whose husband, Antigonus (Mark Nelson), falls victim to the bear when he takes the spurned infant Perdita (played at 16 in Act II by Maya Kazan) to exile on the shores of Bohemia. Never mind that Bohemia has no coastline.

Perhaps the most tragic casualty of Leontes’ rage is his son Mamillius (appealing and natural 12-year-old Jordi Bertran), who is torn from his mother. In Bohemia, Perdita is rescued and raised as his own daughter by an Old Shepherd (Mark Nelson), whose son is a Clown (Brendan Spieth). She falls in love with Florizel (A.Z. Kelsey), Polixenes’ son. Uninvited to the harvest festival that will celebrate their engagement is a dastardly pickpocket named Autolycus (Paul Kandel), intent on foiling the play’s happy ending and furious when he actually moves the plot toward a wondrous, magical denouement in Sicilia.

Blessedly, all the actors speak the same language. To his credit, Edelstein uses many young actors from the Old Globe/USD MFA program. Campbell, seen here previously in John Rando’s 1997 production of “The Comedy of Errors” and Brendon Fox’s 2003 production of “Much Ado About Nothing,” is impressive in limning a possible insanity defense for Leontes’ actions. During Hermione’s imprisonment he becomes wan and almost catatonic, and upon hearing news of and witnessing his loved ones’ deaths he is convincing in his histrionic grief.

Those who are able to push away their inner “yes, but” voices during a production of “The Winter’s Tale” are rewarded, despite having to endure the tedious clowns (the writer admits prejudice against bumpkins), intensified by Kandel’s song-and-dance caterwauling and shtick.

The directorial application of metronomes (tempus fugit) and a plethora of keyboards — including a charming, practical toy grand piano, an upright, a concert grand and even a rude pump organ — is enjoyable but stretched a bit beyond the metaphoric pale. Furthermore, the music sometimes obfuscates text.

Music director Taylor Peckham visibly and excellently performs Michael Torke’s brilliant original score, written for Edelstein’s 2003 Broadway production, which originated at New York’s Classic Stage Company. It puts one in mind of Gershwin on Satie and impending dissonance. Wilson Chin’s scenic design is wondrous, especially as lighted by Russell H. Champa. Judith Dolan’s sumptuous gowns are absolutely luscious, and Fitz Patton is the sound designer. Hopefully he will tweak the balance.

Now that the Edelstein Old Globe directorial debut has come and gone, patrons look forward to a future rife with intelligence, excellence and stability.

“The Winter’s Tale”
Through March 16
The Old Globe
Tues – Fri 8 p.m.
Sat 2 & 8 p.m.
Sun 2 & 7 p.m.
1363 Old Globe Way
$29 and up
619-23-GLOBE (234-5623)
theoldglobe.org