Alec Baldwin Raves About Shakespeare in the Park's TWELFTH NIGHT Finale on The Huffington Post

Award winning actor and 30 Rock star, Alec Baldwin raved about the Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT's final performance in his column on the Huffington Post.

Baldwin remarked, "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."

To read his full rave of the final TWELFTH NIGHT performance click here.

Baldwin, who currently appears and won an Golden Globe and Emmy for his work on the hit sitcom "30 Rock," recently appeared Off-Broadway in Entertaining Mr. Sloane.

He received a Tony Award nomination for his work in the 1992 revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, and has also appeared on New York stages in Twentieth Century, Prelude to a Kiss, Loot and Serious Money. His many film credits include The Hunt for Red October, Glengarry Glen Ross, Pearl Harbor, The Aviator and The Cooler, for which he received an Oscar nod.

TWELFTH NIGHT officially opened on June 25th. The production ended July 12th at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Bank of America returns as lead sponsor of Shakespeare in the Park 2009. 

TWELFTH NIGHT, one of Shakespeare's most beloved romantic comedies, is a time-honored story of cross-dressing and mistaken identity that follows the romantic adventures of Viola and her identical twin Sebastian, both shipwrecked in the enchanted dukedom of Illyria.

The Shakespeare in the Park production of TWELFTH NIGHT, was directed by Daniel Sullivan and featured Anne Hathaway as Viola. Joining Hathaway in the production were OBIE winner Michael Cumpsty (Hamlet at Classic Stage) as Malvolio; three-time Tony Award nominee Raúl Esparza (Speed-the-Plow on Broadway) as Orsino; Hamish Linklater ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") as Sir Andrew Aguecheek; four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (110 in the Shade on Broadway) as Olivia; two-time Tony Award nominee David Pittu (What's That Smell at the Atlantic) as Feste; and Jay O. Sanders (Daniel Sullivan's A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare in the Park) as Sir Toby Belch. Herb Foster played Valentine; Kevin Kelly is Sea Captain; Tony nominee Stark Sands played Sebastian; Baylen Thomas plays Curio; Jon Patrick Walker played Fabian; and Tony Award winner Julie White played Maria. TWELFTH NIGHT featured original music by symphonic folk-rock band Hem. The ensemble for TWELFTH NIGHT included Clifton Duncan, David Kenner, Leslie Harrison, Slate Holmgren, Dorien Makhloghi, Ray Rizzo, and Zach Villa.

TWELFTH NIGHT featured scenic design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Jane Greenwood, lighting design by Peter Kaczorowski, sound design by Acme Sound Partners, fight direction by Rick Sordelet, and choreography by Mimi Lieber.

The second Shakespeare in the Park production will be Euripides's THE BACCHAE, translated by Nicholas Rudall, directed by JoAnne Akalaitis, and featuring original music by Philip Glass. THE BACCHAE, running August 11-30, will be presented as it was always meant to be seen - in the open air of the city. Akalaitis' visionary interpretation, featuring a lush choral score by Glass, re-imagines the classic story about what happens when a government attempts to outlaw desire.

For additional information about Shakespeare in the Park, visit The Public Theater website at www.publictheater.org.

Photo Credit: Sarah DeBoer/Retna Ltd.