Shakespeare in the Park Returning This Summer!!!- Page 5

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/26/21 at 8:38pm

Seeing it this week and looking forward to it.

[Square Peg2]

Posted: 7/27/21 at 11:46am

I just moved to the city from Melbourne Australia, and very excited to have access to a Shakespeare in the Park production for my first piece of theatre as a resident here! I saw MW last night. As someone mentioned the other night, Saheem Ali again gave a very rousing introductory speech, thanking donors and mentioning the 6 understudies. He warned about the prompter being present but no one called for line during the performance. Jumaane Williams also spoke briefly.

I really enjoyed the play, definitely more in the last half. The first half felt a little slow to me. Great performances all round, and while Burton was wonderful, I really felt like the play belonged to the female cast. I found the women in the show to be charming, fun and dynamic. 

I also thought the ushers did a great job monitoring mask wearing. I was in a physically distanced section (not eligible for vaccination in Australia, so have only had my first dose since arriving in the states on Friday), and appreciated how quick and direct they were in pointing out those who had their masks down.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/28/21 at 11:42pm

JBroadway said: "(Speaking as a white person with limited perspective)

I didn't get the sense at all that Harlem itself was the butt of any joke. In many ways, it struck me as a loving ode to the culture, diversity, and humanity of the people who lived there. Some of the characters and circumstances were ridiculous in nature, but that ridiculousness seemed to come from a human place: Falstaff is ridiculous because of his brash personality,whereas Madam Ford and Madam Page are ridiculous because they're so savvy, and so eager to have fun, and Mama Quickly is ridiculous because she has her fingers in too many pies, and gets caught up in intricate schemes, in which she has a large amount of agency. None of that seems to me to be at the expense of the community, its people as a whole, or their Blackness.

Were the accents and mannerisms stereotypical though? Possibly. I can see a case for it, but if so, I would defer to a lot of what macnyc said: it was executed by artists with African heritage, and I don't personally know very many African immigrants, so I can't really say if it was authentic enough. But like macnyc said, I would alsobe curious to hear other African perspectives on the production, because it's true that marginalized artists are still capable of inadvertently indulging in problematic tropes about their people."

You pretty much nailed it on the head. As a black person I thought they kept it very authentic. Also, the drummer did that whole call and response about different ethnicities and pronunciations. (That was fun!) And I think there was mention in the beginning of all the cultures within the community. Saw it tonight.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The two hours flies by. We actually got out before 10:00 even with the pre-show speech. That final park scene was just spectacularly gorgeous. I would gladly see it again. The Falstaff understudy was wonderful.

 

[Susanswerphone]

Posted: 7/29/21 at 10:23am

Last night’s performance was truly a wonder. Every single understudy was on their A game. This is a beautiful production, as others have said, a love letter to Harlem and the many peoples who make up the community therein. Gorgeous costuming and sets!
Do not miss this!

[metjetboy13]

Posted: 8/2/21 at 3:32pm

Anyone have a spare ticket available for tonight? I’d be very gracious!!

Updated On: 8/2/21 at 03:32 PM

[@z5]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 3:50pm

I have an extra ticket for tomorrow night if anyone’s interested

[joeydylan56]

Posted: 8/25/21 at 6:24pm

Just PM'd you!

[macnyc]

Posted: 9/7/21 at 10:29am

Does anyone know when Susan Kelechi Watson left the show? She's not even listed on the Public's website anymore. Last night, Jennifer Mogbock played Madam Ford and has officially been bumped up from her former spot in the ensemble. I thought she was excellent, but I was wondering what happened to Watson, if her departure had been planned or not.

Updated On: 9/7/21 at 10:29 AM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/7/21 at 11:50am

She left recently due to her commitment in Los Angeles for This Is Us. She was still listed early last week on the website, so that's why I say recent.

[Nazzarena]

Posted: 9/18/21 at 4:30pm

I'm back from EU just for Closing night, but w/o ticket. I did have one earlier in the summer but was rained out in the first ten lines! Standby via text didn't work either. Suggestions for queuing the night of or -gasp- does anyone have s spare tix?
Many thanks!!!

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 9/18/21 at 4:35pm

Nazzarena said: "I'm back from EU just for Closing night, but w/o ticket. I did have one earlier in the summer but was rained out in the first ten lines! Standby via text didn't work either. Suggestions for queuing the night of or -gasp- does anyone have s spare tix?
Many thanks!!!"

Actually, I do have a spare reserved seat in the socially distanced section for tonight, but the QR code won't display for a couple of hours. If you want to PM me with your phone number, I'd be happy to text a screenshot when it shows up and see if that works for you.

 

Updated On: 9/18/21 at 04:35 PM

[Nazzarena]

Posted: 9/18/21 at 5:00pm

Many thanks!!! I did send you my phone no via PM.
It will be a gorgeous night. Thanks again!

[sorano916]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 9:38pm

Would be interesting what they show on the doc.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/hbo-reopening-night-trailer-the-public-documentary-1235054698/

[JasonC3]

Posted: 12/20/21 at 7:41am

sorano916 said: "Would be interesting what they show on the doc.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/hbo-reopening-night-trailer-the-public-documentary-1235054698/"

Reminder! Starts airing tonight. From the NYT promo blurb:

REOPENING NIGHT (2021) 10 p.m. on HBO. In this documentary, the filmmaker Rudy Valdez (“The Sentence”) follows actors, crew members and other employees of the Public Theater as they work to bring Shakespeare back to the Delacorte Theater in Central Park for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic — for this past summer’s production of “Merry Wives,” a Shakespeare adaptation. The film isn’t just about the challenges of bringing back live performances after a long period of dormancy; it also sees the artists working through questions around racial equity as they return to the theater for the first time since 2020.

[brdway411]

Posted: 12/20/21 at 2:54pm

Thank you for the reminder. Timers set.