For a play that features a talking bear, the ideas presented in Madonna of the Cat have their feet firmly planted in reality.

Portland playwright Sue Mach’s new work, directed by Gemma Whelan at 21ten Theatre, uses the bear – and other characters from Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale – to fill in the 16-year gap in The Bard’s story and to address some universal issues, such as the pain of losing a child, that will always resonate in the real world.

In Shakespeare’s play, Leontes, King of Sicilia, falsely accuses his wife, Hermione, of infidelity, even though she’s a faithful partner who’s nine months pregnant with his child. Imprisoned, she gives birth to a daughter, Perdita, whom Leontes has ordered to be abandoned and left to die in the country of Bohemia.

Hermione, it seems, is dead as well, but a Sicilian courtier, Antigonus, hopes to save the baby by leaving her someplace safe. Unfortunately for him, that’s his last appearance in the play before he makes his famous exit, “pursued by a bear.”

Mach’s play treats us to the bear’s perspective. Wearing a shaggy brown jacket over everyday clothes (costumes by Janelle Sutton) and lumbering around with his knees slightly bent, this bear (a wonderful Bruce Burkhartsmeier) addresses the audience with a working-class British accent, explaining what really happened with Antigonus.

No, he didn’t “pursue” anyone, he insists. And yes, he did eat the courtier. But as he humorously explains, the man (or “that stupid fuck”) woke him up and invaded his territory, hence the attack was a reasonable response. Far more natural, I’d add, than a king who calls his wife a “whore” and condemns her to die.

Of course Hermione isn’t really dead. In both The Winter’s Tale and Madonna of the Cat, Paulina (Maria Porter), an outspoken lady in waiting, keeps the queen safely hidden away. That’s more than a glorious act of sisterhood, though. Instead, Mach depicts the day-to-day grind that Hermione (Crystal Ann Muñoz) endures living in a tiny room for 16 years, the sight of which might evoke the fusty confinement of the COVID-19 lockdown for some audience members.

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In contrast, there’s more light, air and motion in the Bohemian scenes, for which Mach has created a character named Donna (Luisa Sermol). A shepherd’s wife past childbearing age, she takes in the infant Perdita and raises her as her own daughter. The tender lullaby she makes up for her “pretty Perdita” sweetly reflects the joy she finds in caring for another human, although the colors in this country are nearly as subdued as those in Hermione’s cell, foreshadowing a sorrow for Donna that will mirror the emotions of Perdita’s birth mother.

Thanks to Alex Meyer’s clever scenic design, Hermione, attended by Paulina, is visible in her elevated room throughout the play, while the bear, Donna and Perdita are downstage in the more expansive Bohemia, with Sophina Flores’ subtle lighting to expertly guide us between the two spaces.

While the Bohemians naturally can’t see or hear Hermione, her movements are often in conversation with them, such as when Donna tries to nurse the infant and cries out in pain, and Hermione clutches her breasts in the physical agony of waiting for her milk to dry up.

The loving relationships at the center of the play are also shown in juxtaposition to Leontes’ cruelty. Hermione and Paulina hold hands to comfort each other, and Perdita (Emma Rose Greene) befriends the bear. 

Together, the two toss a ball and dance (Adam Fleming directed the movement) and slurp tea from tiny cups. Adding to the charm of these scenes, the bear’s entrances are accompanied by some jazzy music (composed by Stehanie Schneiderman).

Greene’s performance is a delight, whether she’s portraying Perdita at age 5 or 15. As a newcomer – this is her first professional production – amongst a splendid cast of seasoned actors, she holds her own and adds a note of joie de vivre to the story. 

With the muted palette of the show, her verve stands out all the more. As do the red petals of a flower she holds and the gleaming gold frame of a painting in Sicilia. Color is a sign of life, as is art, like when Hermione finds comfort in writing to her missing daughter.  

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Paulina, in talking to Hermione, says that Sicilia has become stagnant. With a tyrant in charge, people are afraid to be creative, and that stasis is a strong presence in the play. Perdita and the bear may run on and off the set, but Hermione is stuck between her bed and her desk.

Since Mach focuses on the female characters (except for the bear), she relies on narration to tell us what the male characters are up to, sometimes resulting in more talk than action. Like Hermione, we hear about things that happen offstage, such as the teenage Perdita falling in love, but we’re left to use our own imaginations to envision those events.

Still, there’s some magic that happens in Sicilia as well as Bohemia. The emotional suffering in Madonna of the Cat may be grounded in reality, but moments of joy also blossom here and there in Mach’s imaginary world. 

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Madonna of the Cat continues at 21ten Theatre, 2110 SE 10^th Ave. in Portland, through Nov. 23. Find schedules and ticket information here.