Twelfth Night in Central Park
Just came from the closing night performance of Twelfth Night in Central Park, produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theatre and it...was...fantastic.
To bring together this wonderful cast of some of the great performers in the American theatre and watch them create one of the best shows I have seen in the Park in quite some time was a rare treat.
Audra McDonald, Raul Esparza, Julie White, Jay O. Sanders, Michael Cumpsty, Hamish Linklater, David Pittu and Anne Hathaway were all remarkable. The entire cast, direction and production were remarkable. I left the theatre wondering, "Is there any piece Daniel Sullivan cannot direct?"
To watch Anne Hathaway take her place alongside some of the greatest Broadway performers of her generation was something to see. Hathaway is not even 27 years old, yet seems to do nearly everything right, whether it be on screen and now on the stage.
If you live in New York and enjoy Shakespeare in the Park or do so as a tourist when you visit here, please support the work of the Public Theatre. As a former board member of the Public, I urge you to visit publictheater.org (that's theatre but with the "er") and give what you can, no matter how small.
Evenings like the one I saw tonight are worthy of your contribution. It was a great production.
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We tried to see it, but they postponed the show that we were planning on attending. Unfortunately, I forgot to check to find out the date for which it was rescheduled. Damn!
"What young egg, thou frye of treachery...?"
Joseph Papp surely made theatre accessible to the public. I enjoy my DVD copy of The Pirates of Penzance’s Central Park production - not the movie - but the 1980 Park production. The movie wasn’t bad. Who cares if some of these public theatre productions are relegated to local Community Theatres eventhough some, self appointed culivators of high art, think they're a bore. At least , the community is involved and doing art, and not just readily watching it. Thanks
Alec you're written about in Lexigrams of the Moment ... check it out and find out why you went through what you went through ...
Alec, as much as I love your blogs here on HuffPost, sure wish you'd start Twittering. You already have a ton of fans "following you" just waiting for you to start talking to us. You are such a facinating person, so smart and funny, well read, and so passionate about your work and the world that we need to hear from you more.
Alec, wish you'd start Twittering, you are a celebrity that really is really so interesting that although I enjoy your blogs here on HuffPost, am sure you could have a HUGE following on Twitter, too.
See Tallulah Morehead's Profile
Al darling. You know I adore you, and I'm sure I would have loved this TWELFTH NIGHT also, as it is my fave of Bill's comedies. (I think it is because of Sir Toby Belch, my kind of man)
But just a friendly tip to bear in mind for the future: a positive review will do a lot more for both readers and the show itself, if you review it opening night, instead of closing. "Here's a GREAT show you can't see. Too bad for you. I loved it."
That's not a review; that's just bragging.
Speaking for myself: some are born great; some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust within them." I'm the latter.
Cheers darling.
S'truth.
To-Tallulah - Mr. Baldwin was making a comment on an enjoyable personal experience not rendering a review. He has not forsaken his profession as an actor to take up the mantel of theatre critic or reviewer. Alec was making a public appreciation of his fellow actors performances, that is not only gracious on his part but certianly allowed.
As for your other comments on this blog, people come here to post their beliefs not only in the hope they will be of some interest to Mr. B, but in the comfort that they will be accepted by other posters, not to be corrected in a "school marm" fashion. As someone once said to me after I made the mistake of correcting them " by correcting me you are only showing your own ignorance" and he was right. People if they are not being abusive or slanderous should be allowed to continue on their way, in their own blissfull ignorance, they will discover their errors in their own time.
If you are indeed 100+ you would likely have learned by now that exhibiting an over abundance of knowledge to the detraction of others can be an unatractive trait.
I'll take it even longer back then! Last year Hair was great, and a day spent hanging out around the Park was a splendid part of the deal. Support the Public Theater!
I thought the same thing, Jack.
I couldn't agree more with Alec's comments. If any of you were able to see the production and liked the music from the performance check out Hem. Hem composed the music and will be releasing a collection of songs with Anne Hathaway, Audra McDonald and other cast members from the production very soon. For more details check out http://www.hemmusic.com
Heya Alec, this is Dave Wood, how are you today? I have no comment about the theater but would like your help in spreading the word about my big idea called the TWO BILL SOLUTION (health care reform).
The TWO BILL SOLUTION says that Congress would write TWO bills, 1. written by the liberals called the SPA program (single payer authority) and 2nd bill written by the conservatives called the TAC program (private insurance based- total choice and competition)
THEN let the states opt into either program voluntarily through a local election.
In this way we may see liberal Vermont opt into the SPA program and would elect its own board to run it. Vermonters would self rule and self tax. Likew ise for conservative Kansas where it may opt into the TAC program and would elect its own board to self rule and self tax.
This is the ONLY way to get to single payer, by giving the right exactly what it wants in the deal. What say you......
Wow, that's a scary thought.
What happens if you live in a state that 'elects' TAC and you are a proponent of SPA. How is that fair? And don't tell me to move. I can't just pick up roots, give up a job, not sell my house in this lousy market, and move to a state having SPA which I am for.
Alec, thank you for posting this. I was happy to read it and share the same reviews.
My girlfriend tried to get tickets on Thursday but arrived too late (7am is too late). So, we ended up arriving on line outside the park at 3:30am, Sunday. 10 hours later we had tickets.
It is unfortunate that is what's needed, but I'd rather have that than nothing at all. For a play like this, it was well worth the wait.
The produciton/cast were all amazing; the set was very efficient and never got in the way. Belvedere castle looked liked it was there for the play, not for the park.
The natural colors of the park and sunset added so much. Details that are easily over looked when you're inside a theatre. It was magical... a real treat.
I am sick and faint with massive jealousy.....
Hi there Alec, good review. We don't get many top notch performances in my little town. For obvious reasons. Looking forward to your take on political events of the day. How about some candid thoughts on President Obama, and HIS performance so far? By the way I am his fan also!
my english teacher tryed to make us watch that show, it was so boring! why dont teachers teach stuff that kids want to read like twilight?
Ryan,
There is a reason why Shakespeare's work has survived and thrived for 400 years. There is a reason that the Twitlight series will not. Someday you will understand that.
In the meantime, try watching a production of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors. It's a little more silly and slapstick so it is more accessible to students. You can have fun with it too. I saw a production when students in the front were given water guns and told to squirt actors when they said or did certain things. It doesn't have to be stuffy. Shakespeare was all for giving his audience a good laugh.
See Tallulah Morehead's Profile
Darling, it was NOT boring! It's a great, funny play. You bored yourself: odd since, as you are a TWILIGHT fan, you are obviously hard to bore.
"why dont [sic] teachers teach stuff that kids want to read like twilight?"
Ryan, "don't" requires an apostrophe. Even the hack who writes the TWILIGHT books knows that, because she paid attention in school. While I'm at it "tryed" is spelt "tried." You need to listen to your teachers, not carp (look it up) about them, because you have literacy issues.
1. It's not a teacher's job to pander to their student's low taste, but to educate, illuminate, and hopefully raise your taste. (which seriously needs raising.)
2. It's not necessary to teach kids to watch or read what they are ALREADY watching or reading; the idea is to expose you to other - and BETTER - stuff.
That said, I performed in TWELFTH NIGHT once back in 1974 when, one night, we had an audience of all high school kids assigned to see the show. No laughs that night. At the point where each laugh came on the other nights, we heard pens scratching as the "audience" took notes for the test on TWELFTH NIGHT they had the next day. Now that is some mighty bad teaching.
Oh how ironic...
You like Twilight? That’s funny. Twilight is just another telling of, Romeo and Juliet. Another one of those “boring” plays by that world class playwright guy.
I wish I made the time to see it. I will have to check the schedule. Nice critique of the play. I read the reviews and Anne Hathaway got good reviews. I heard she could hold her own up against the seasoned Shakespearean performers. I will support the Public Theatre.Thanks
I loved studying this rich and complicated play, but have never seen it acted live (a few years ago I caught an old video of Judi Dench in the part of Viola, and it was great). I'm glad the author of this blot enjoyed the play, and I'd love to be able to see it live at least once in my life!
Oh yikes, of course that's supposed to be "blog."
LOL. "Blot" would have also been acceptable in this case.
Bummer.
I wanted very badly to go to this. This is the first Shakespeare in the Park production that I have missed in many years. The weather would just not cooperate with my schedule. I had even planned to take a day off to sit for tickets, but it rained.
I was going to sit for tickets on Sunday morning--planning to be there at 6 a.m.--but a friend told me that people were lining up on Saturday night already (in a rain storm) and that people who were not in line on Friday night before midnight, had been shut out of getting tickets for the Saturday performance.
I think the combination of a rainy June and good reviews made this show almost impossible to get tickets for.
Bummer. And this is one of the reasons I pay so much to live on the UWS, and I still missed it. Oh well.
I hope that someday Alec Baldwin will honor us with a turn in one of the comedies in the Park. Sure, he can do any of the dramas too, but why waste comic genius? Although...he could have fun as one of the villians too...maybe Richard III?
Do you remember Michael Keaton as Bottom from As you like it? He was totallly hysterical.
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I'll bet he was hilarious, especially as Bottom isn't in AS YOU LIKE IT. Bottom is in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Were the other characters saying things like, "Whoa, Bottom, what are you doing in this play?" Surreal!
Does Keaton do a lot of playing characters from Shakespeare plays in plays they're not in? Or was it the director's brainstorm? I'd love to see Iago show up in THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR.
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