Shakespeare in the Park's Streep, Kline, Adams & More Set for CBS' SUNDAY MORNING, 8/12

If all the world’s a stage, as William Shakespeare once noted, then New York City’s Delecorte Theater might be a little better than others. For five decades, Central Park has been home to free summer performances of Shakespeare classics under the stars, and as correspondent Tracy Smith reports, actors say the work is magical.

“It is an institution, but still remains true to its original purpose, which was the best playwright in the English language for free, for everybody who wants to come,” actor Sam Waterston tells Smith of “Shakespeare in the Park.”

The production has attracted some of the entertainment world’s biggest names to the outdoor stage and helped launched the careers of others. To get a sense of the magic launched in 1962 by the late theater producer Joe Papp, Smith talks to Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Amy Adams, James Earl Jones, Waterston and others.

“There’s something about doing it outdoors which is special,” Kline says, “in this oasis in the middle of Central Park in the middle of this insane metropolis.”

For actress Amy Adams, the outdoor performances at the Delacorte are a natural.

“To bring a show into the elements, to participate in the outdoors, it makes the set the world,” Adams says, “and it brings the world to the stage and brings the stage to the world.”

Smith’s piece will air today, August 12 on CBS SUNDAY MORNING WITH Charles Osgood (9:00-10:30 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network. Rand Morrison is the executive producer.

Follow CBS Sunday Morning on Twitter and Facebook.

More Articles by This Author...