Friday, April 19, 2024
Though hurricanes, the stormy skies and the trail of destruction they bring raged across America at the tail end of summer, all was calm and serene as professional artists and community participants alike graced the Delacorte Theatre for one last time before 2025. The production was a jubilant musical take on Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest, as envisioned by Public Works, currently helmed by Lauire Wooley, featuring well-crafted, richly varied and genre-bending music and lyrics by Benjamin Velez and simple yet playful choreography by Tiffany Rea-Fisher. Ancestral spirits from Seneca Village and the Isle of Manahatta, the homeland of the
Tag: Free Shakespeare in the Park
Free Shakespeare in the Park’s HAMLET at The Delacorte Theater
If last year was “The Summer of Richard III,” with numerous productions worldwide and varying portrayals of the “poisonous bunch-backed toad,” including The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park version directed by Robert O’Hara (see my StageBiz review here), then 2023 is “The Tale of Two Hamlets.” Two Public Theater productions featuring the titular tragic prince were running simultaneously at the time of Free Shakespeare in the Park’s Hamlet’s opening, the second being James Ijames’ excellent, Pulitzer-Prize winning modern-day riff on the Hamlet tale, dubbed Fat Ham, which transferred to Broadway and closed July 2 after an extension (see
Public Works’ Musical Adaptation of “As You Like It”: Free Shakespeare in the Park
The 60th anniversary of The Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park series was memorable. It opened with risk and ended with a reward. The first of the two productions for summer 2022 was Richard III, directed by Robert O'Hara and starring Danai Gurira in the title role. It seemed to be the summer of Richard III, and the choices made by The Public's version and other productions worldwide (notably in Canada and the UK) were the source of many conversations, press articles, and hot debates. In contrast, it's hard to imagine anything but praise for the delightful, exuberant modern musical
Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park: Richard III
It’s important, if not essential, for theatre makers to be ambitious and take risks. Equally crucial, especially in today’s climate, is considering diversity and inclusion when casting. However, when a production tries to tick all the boxes at once, that can muddle the play’s message. The latter is the unfortunate result of the production of Richard III, directed by Robert O’Hara and starring Danai Gurira in the title role. Though the efforts and intentions were admirable and excellent performances were given by all, throwing in everything and the kitchen sink made the show fall short of its possible impact by presenting