Shakespeare in the Park’s ‘Cymbeline’

The final scene requires your undivided attention

Shakespeare’s plays are dotted with surprises, but only “Cymbeline” concludes with enough high jinks to feel like a sophisticated version of “Scooby-Doo.” In the last scene, there are so many revelations that the play baffles experts, who say they have counted anywhere from 17 to 30 news flashes onstage.

“If you blink, you miss a couple,” said Columbia University professor James Shapiro, who himself has counted at least 20 discoveries in the final scene, most of which are known to the audience but not to all of the characters.