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| An afternoon nap. 3:00 PM. Photo: JH. |
Tuesday, June 19, 2012. Another beautiful sunny day in New York with temperatures in the low to mid-70s, and turning cooler into the 60s by nightfall.
Last night the Public Theater celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Delacorte Theater which is known to the world as the home of Shakespeare in the Park. Its first production on this stage was George C. Scott and a very young James Earl Jones in “The Merchant of Venice.” |
George C. Scott and James Earl Jones in The Merchant of Venice, 1962
Photos by George E. Joseph/©The New York Public Library |
You’ve never been? Well, I’d never been before last night either, and I’m probably the only New Yorker I know who hasn’t. More than 5 million New Yorkers have been, and they’ve seen more than 150 productions in more than 2500 performances. And the price of the ticket miraculously has stayed the same since it opened -- $0. That’s right. Zero. Free. Can you imagine? Isn’t it unbelievable?
However, there’s always the first time even for us slackers. And last night will go down in memory as one of the greatest. And a beautiful night for the first night it was too.
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| Fifteen minutes before showtime last night at the Delacorte Theater Shakespeare in the Park. |
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It was a benefit for the Public Theater and they presented a One Night Only reading of “Romeo and Juliet” with Meryl Streep as Juliet and Kevin Kline as Romeo. Too old to play teenagers, you’re thinking? I was ... until it started. The only thing that might have distracted your imagination from Kline’s passionate boy was the grey in his hair (which wasn’t easy to detect in the night light in the amphitheater).
And Streep? A 14-year-old girl, just like the particular one you knew in your own teen-age life? The thing about Meryl Streep, the very great actress that she is, is that you always believe her even when you know she’s fooling you. Every boy has met her Juliet at least once in his life, and he even knew right from the beginning she could just break his heart. If she felt like it. And how would a 14-year-old girl say “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet ...?” The same way a 14-year-old girl would say to the boy who had captured her heart, very gently but certain: “That’s a no-brainer ...” Why, of course.
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But that’s just the beginning of describing the performances last night. Or not even the beginning, because the cast was as much of a thrill as the whole experience of sitting out there in the middle of the wilds of Central Park surrounded by the sparkling metropolis. Does that sound like an exaggeration? Well it is, considering all the aspects and facets of the Big Town -- but just like Broadway, it’s real too when you are there.
Here they were, right before us, taking us back to reality, and the wit and wisdom of Will Shakespeare, with their readings: F. Murray Abraham as Friar Laurence; Christine Baranski (a classic Baranski performance) as Nurse; John Cullum as Capulet; Raúl Esparza as Sampson, Apothecary, Watchman 1 ; David Harbour as Abraham, Capulet Servant, Paris’ Page; Bill Irwin Montague; Jesse L. Martin as Gregory, Friar John, Watchman 2; Sandra Oh as Lady Montague; Phylicia Rashad as Lady Capulet; Jerry Stiller as Peter; Michael Stuhlbarg as Paris; Christopher Walken as Mercutio; Sharon Washington (Stage Directions); Sam Waterston as Benvolio; and Jeffrey Wright as Tybalt. |
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| Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline in The Seagull, 2001. |
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The distinguished Daniel Sullivan directed this cast which was accompanied by on-stage musicians (placed just on the edge of the woods) playing original music by Jeanine Tesori.
For the lucky ones who were able to obtain the ticket and contribute the evening started with an al fresco dinner at tables set up just outside the theater’s entrance where Al Pacino was honored for his body of work with the Public Theater, going all the way back to the 1970s, including his unforgettable performance as Shylock in the production of “The Merchant of Venice” in 2010.
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| Lily Rabe and Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice, 2010. (Photo by Joan Marcus). |
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Shakespeare in the Park was conceived by Public Theater founder, the great Joe Papp. His objective: to make great theater accessible to all. The result today: five decades, five million people, more than 150 free productions of Shakespeare and other classical works and musicals at the Delacorte. A visionary.
The benefit event was chaired by Public Theater Board Members Arielle Tepper Madover and Alexandra Shiva. Last night’s performance was introduced by Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of the Public Theater, and Patrick Willingham, Executive Director.
And let’s not forget George Delacorte, once a famous name in American life, who started Dell Publishing, the largest publisher of books, magazines and comics in its heyday. Mr. Delacorte made a fortune with his publishing activities and donated his money to the building of the theater (as well as the Delacorte Musical Clock, the Alice in Wonderland sculpture and many other works of art and funds for scholarship in New York.
Tomorrow will be the 118th anniversary of his birth. He’s unknown to modern New Yorkers but he made his mark and left it for us to enjoy.
Everyone present was lucky in love last night thanks to all those mentioned. This is New York. |
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