Cymbeline (The Public Theater) (2015)

Cymbeline is a very strange play--must be why no one ever reads it at school or produces it.  It certainly is not one of Shakespeare's best.  Is it a comedy, a tragedy, a history?  It defies proper categorization.  It is a romance that doesn't end in marriage, a tragedy that ends happily, a history that depends on legend. It seems the director wasn't sure what to do about this.  There are lots of comedic moments that are refreshing and much needed in a three-hour play.  But it has just as many dramatic moments.  And it isn't until the end until the director makes a firm decision.  Because the play ends with a jig, complete with a fiddle and synchronized dancing.  It is seemingly out of place, but then you realize it's actually a perfectly fitting ending to a bizarre piece of theater.

The play is redeemed by good actors.  They interact with the first few rows of the audience and have a jolly good time on stage.  There are a few songs--the best sung by Tony nominee Raul Esparza.  He has a smooth voice that totally destroyed the admittedly out-of-place Vegas-y number.  Hamish Linklater and Lily Rabe have a great chemistry as the two leads that has been proven several times.   Linklater pulls double weight, playing two polar opposite characters.  He puts on silly wig and leaves on just one button of his shirt and puts on a ridiculous voice to play Cloten.  And Cloten is the easiest name to pronounce among the plethora of impossible names.

The plot is also pretty unbelievable.  There is a lot going on and it is all sort of convoluted.  A couple of the characters change clothes and suddenly they are unrecognizable to the other characters.  It is almost comically ridiculous.  The ending is a big reveal where everything magically turns out right and they live happily ever after.  It's a strange ending to a bizarre play.