Peter Dinklage, Lupita Nypng'o, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sandra Oh to star in Shakespeare in the Park's TWELFTH NIGHT

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 7/25/24 at 2:52pm

Saheem Ali directing; will reopen the revitalized Delacorte Theater in August 2025

Holy crap this cast

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/25/24 at 3:09pm

It’s a great cast on paper but what an idiotic move to announce it more than a year in advance. Even announcing 6 months in advance can be risky. Schedules change at the drop of a hat.

Feels desperate, as though they’re announcing it to try to drum up completion funds or boost memberships or send a message to the contractors that these are the celebs you’ll be pissing off if you don’t finish on time.

Unless there’s a secret commercial producer attached who has an ironclad agreement with each actor and is funneling them a massive fee in addition to the Public’s scale salary.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/25/24 at 3:09pm

Incredible initial cast but announcing over a year in advance would seem to risk at least one or more of these actors dropping out. 
 

Edit: Ermengarde, we have to stop meeting like this!

Updated On: 7/25/24 at 03:09 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/25/24 at 3:14pm

Hey you said it more nicely than I did!

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 7/25/24 at 3:15pm

So lit.

[scripps]

Posted: 7/25/24 at 3:29pm

Only interested if Hamish Linklater returns as Sir Andrew Aguecheek.

[willep]

Posted: 7/25/24 at 5:09pm

They had me at Peter Dinklage.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 7/25/24 at 6:12pm

Holy ****! This is a cast that reminds me of some of the great starry casts of yore (in particular, the last production of Twelfth Night)  

Incredibly smart to announce early: it gets donors who haven’t been around much these past couple of years (…myself included) to get in line early for confirmed tickets next summer. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 7/25/24 at 8:41pm

I wonder if this one will end up being filmed as well

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 7/26/24 at 11:24am

Glad I'm not the only who saw this and though "this is way too early to announce a cast like that" 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/26/24 at 5:40pm

It may be early, but it is exciting!

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 1/30/25 at 4:03pm

Bill Camp, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Khris Davis, Junior Nyong'o, & more join the cast

[jakethesnake]

Posted: 1/30/25 at 10:35pm

KevinKlawitter said: "Bill Camp, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Khris Davis, Junior Nyong'o, & more join the cast"

Ah, the joys of nepotism!

[MasterThespian 2]

Posted: 1/31/25 at 6:58am

Have never done Shakespeare in the Park. What’s the crowd like? Well-behaved or loud, rude and drunk? 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/31/25 at 7:53am

MasterThespian 2 said: "Have never done Shakespeare in the Park. What’s the crowd like? Well-behaved or loud, rude and drunk?"

It can vary wildly. This having celebrities in the cast means it will attract people from every walk of life, some of whom don’t usually attend theatre or they view an outdoor performance as a relaxed thing. But I’ve never experienced a CRAZY crowd.

What will be crazy for this production is the early-morning line to get free tickets…people camping out on CPW, people paying for line-sitters, etc. 

Updated On: 1/31/25 at 07:53 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/31/25 at 8:14am

jakethesnake said: "
Ah, the joys of nepotism!"

A) that’s the gimmick of the casting

B) it’s not like he was working at Walmart and then decided to give acting a try for this production. He has a theatre degree and has worked at a slew of high-profile regional houses (La Jolla, The Guthrie, Seattle Rep, South Coast Rep, etc.)

[MasterThespian 2]

Posted: 1/31/25 at 8:54am

Thanks. Think I’ll pass on this. Can’t shake the fear of trying to focus on the performance and being surrounded by endless, annoying conversations and a sea of iPhones. Doubt this will be a respectful, quiet theatre audience. To those who end up going, enjoy and hope I’m wrong. 

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "MasterThespian 2 said: "Have never done Shakespeare in the Park. What’s the crowd like? Well-behaved or loud, rude and drunk?"

It can vary wildly. This having celebrities in the cast means it will attract people from every walk of life, some of whom don’t usually attend theatre or they view an outdoor performance as a relaxed thing. But I’ve never experienced a CRAZY crowd.

What will be crazy for this production is the early-morning line to getfree tickets…people camping out on CPW, people paying for line-sitters, etc."

 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/31/25 at 9:23am

I've never experienced a bad audience at the Delacorte.  Perhaps the open air allows audience noise to dissipate more easily?

 

Yes, the lines will be nuts - and I'll definitley be paying some college kid to stand in line for me.  I have no shame about it. I'm too damn old to camp out anymore.

 

Nepotism?  Well, MAYBE, but for a terrific reason.  They're supposed to be twins, what fun.  And as Ermengard said, it's not likely he isn't good enough - both from his training and his pedigree.  Talent tends to run in families.  The part isn't terribly big, so if he isn't up to it, it won't be that painful.  (Any decent director should be able to get him to an acceptable performance, should that be the case.)

Updated On: 1/31/25 at 09:23 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/31/25 at 11:38pm

MasterThespian 2 said: "Thanks. Think I’ll pass on this. Can’t shake the fear of trying to focus on the performance and beingsurrounded by endless, annoyingconversations and a sea of iPhones. Doubt this will be a respectful, quiet theatre audience. To those who end up going, enjoy and hope I’m wrong."

I don't want to mislead you, I've probably experienced worse audiences at some Broadway shows than at SitP.

Any outdoor production is going to have natural distractions. That's part of the charm of seeing theatre in a non-controlled environment. Birds, weather, wind, sirens, planes, sun setting, bugs, woodland creatures, etc. I don't ever remember problems with filming or really unusual behavior, even at Hercules.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 2/1/25 at 2:41am

MasterThespian 2 said: "Thanks. Think I’ll pass on this. Can’t shake the fear of trying to focus on the performance and beingsurrounded by endless, annoyingconversations and a sea of iPhones. Doubt this will be a respectful, quiet theatre audience. "

"

I’ve never experienced anything like that at Shakespeare in the Park. Tbh audience there have been better than many Broadway shows I’ve seen. Maybe being outdoors makes it harder to hear audience noise but I can’t remember ever hearing a phone ring.

[MasterThespian 2]

Posted: 2/1/25 at 5:43am

Sorry. Nothing charming about dealing with sirens, horns, planes, and endless conversations while trying to focus on Shakespeare. Throw in a bunch of star chasers only there to see some big names on stage.
I applaud those who can tune all that stuff out. I can’t. If you go, sincerely hope you enjoy the experience. 
 

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "MasterThespian 2 said: "Thanks. Think I’ll pass on this. Can’t shake the fear of trying to focus on the performance and beingsurrounded by endless, annoyingconversations and a sea of iPhones. Doubt this will be a respectful, quiet theatre audience. To those who end up going, enjoy and hope I’m wrong."

I don't want to mislead you,I've probably experienced worse audiences at some Broadway shows than at SitP.

Any outdoor production is going to have natural distractions. That's part of the charm of seeing theatre in a non-controlled environment. Birds, weather, wind, sirens, planes, sun setting, bugs, woodland creatures,etc. I don't ever remember problems with filming orreallyunusual behavior, even at Hercules."

 

[Kad]

Posted: 2/1/25 at 8:03am

Have you ever seen a show at the Delacorte…? That’s not the experience at all. I worked there for several summers in college and attended many productions there since. Sirens are almost never a problem- the Delacorte is far enough inside the park that you really cannot hear traffic- and audiences are not any worse behaved than anywhere else. Being outside helps diffuse any audience noise and the audience is far more spread out than in any Broadway house. The only issue is helicopters crossing overhead and that’s really only occasionally. I guarantee you will get a lot more distracting noises from the streets outside of many Broadway theaters than at the Delacorte. 
 

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 2/1/25 at 8:33am

What Kad said: the only distractions I can recall after nearly two decades of attending SITP would be an occasional helicopter or a curious raccoon strolling on to the stage. 

Attending a performance at the Delacorte is almost always a uniquely charming experience, especially on a cool summer night. While I’m probably not sleeping in line overnight outside Central Park ever again, I have some really great memories of having done it. No matter what’s playing, I can’t recommend taking in a performance. I personally looking forward to seeing what improvements have been made to the venue. 

[Kad]

Posted: 2/1/25 at 8:38am

The only major impediment to SitP is rain. There’s really no way to avoid it, of course. 
 

But I agree that attending a show at the Delacorte is a singularly charming NYC experience. I would even say that the overall experience tends to be better than the quality of the productions themselves (which can be very very hit or miss).

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 2/1/25 at 9:41am

If you don’t want to go then don’t go. My goodness.