It's about the destructive nature of jealousy and the redemptive power of love, but the theme isn't as impressive as the mood. Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale," balances tragedy against comedy with an impressively sharp contrast. Milwaukee Shakespeare director Gia Forakis has honed the sharpness of this contrast to a razor's edge that quite nearly decapitates the rest of the production. The comedic and dramatic halves of the play seem to be coming from two completely different productions, but there is just enough balance between all the relevant elements to make for a remarkably cohesive evening of theatre.

Born in tragedy, "The Winter's Tale" opens with pale, white pillars of fabric cast in darkness. Scenic designer Van Santvoord and lighting designer Robert Zenoni paint the stage with minimalists' hands for the heavy drama. Grant Neale plays Leontes, King of Sicilia-a man who suspects his wife of cheating on him with Polixenes, King of Bohemia. Though no one seems to believe him, Leontes is certain of the adulterous affair. Neale plays paranoid jealousy with a level of conviction that would seem to stem from a comical kind of madness were it not balanced by Forakis' staging. For moments, we see characters mocking him in phantom stillness from a distance that makes excellent use of lighting and stage space. The visions are drawn from Leontes' dark mind which cast him in a very sympathetic light that the script alone does not.

This part of the play progresses quite predictably for a tragedy. Leontes imprisons his wife. Leontes and Polixenes won't speak to each other. Hermione (Leontes' wife) gives birth to a girl who is forsaken by the king and cast out to Bohemia. The tragedy ends as Leontes realizes he's been a royal jerk. He's taken it upon himself to become very depressed. All is lost.

After that, you might as well be watching a completely different play. Everything's bright and cheery. Zenoni lets the lights shine. Van Santvoord's backgrounds are comically exaggerated. They look like they might've been used in a vintage Warner Brother's cartoon. We're in Bohemia. Michael Duncan comically dodders around as an old shepherd. Comedic talent Kevin Rich (recently seen in the lead of Bialystock and Bloom's, "The Jammer,") plays his son. Rich and Duncan usher in the comedy with a highly kinetic performance as they discover the abandoned daughter of Lenotes' and resolve to look after her.

At this point, Marcus Dean Fuller makes another entrance as Polixenes, King of Bohemia. His appearances earlier in the show provided some of the only levity in the first half of the production, but here he's able to fully explore the comedic aspects of the character. He's destined to help set in motion the set of events that result in the inevitable happy ending. He and an exiled former Lord of Sicilia decide to disguise themselves and join in a celebration among the commoners involving sheep shearing.

This, of course, brings up the subject of the sheep. The set, the actors, the lighting, the music and even the sound design all help add to the comedy that builds-up to the happy ending, but nothing is more effective at creating the comic atmosphere than the sheep: clever little props with wide eyes and stiff legs that almost upstage the rest of the action. Kevin Rich manages some of the best comedy in the play co-starring with one of the startled-looking little sheep. It is details like the sheep which help keep the tragicomic dichotomy of the production from completely drowning out the rest of the play.

Milwaukee Shakespeare's production of "The Winter's Tale," plays now through October 30 at UWM's Helen Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets range in price from $15 to $30 and can be purchased by calling the box office at (414) 229-4308.<