Darkness deepens as Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale unfolds at the open-air Delacorte Theater in Central Park, the night sky lending mysterious credence to the Bard’s audacious blend of fact and poetic fantasy. The Winter’s Tale is the story of King Leontes, whose baseless jealousy results in his wife Hermione’s destruction, their son’s death, and the exile of their infant daughter, Perdita. We then pick up 16 years later, with Perdita now presiding over a pastoral community far removed from life at court. What will happen? Leading the very large cast are Lily Rabe, Raúl Esparza, and Isabela Ferrer in the roles of Hermione, Leontes, and Perdita. Throughout the play, tragedy and comedy take cues from each other. Director Daniel Sullivan and his cast don’t scant the strife but do accentuate the comic whenever possible. Each actor finds his or her way to blend the naturalistic and the cadential. Every word is clear and the audience is engrossed. —Joel Lobenthal