Breaker & More Talk LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST, Preview Songs

The new Shakespeare In The Park production of William Shakespeare's LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST kicks off tonight in Central Park at the Delacorte Theater and the star of the show and creative team discuss the fresh musical adaptation of the classic in a new interview as well as preview some of the rockin' new tunes penned precisely for this Public Theater production.

Daniel Breaker stars in the raucous comedy as the King of Navarre and discusses his role in the re-conceptualized, contemporary new production, as does the director and adaptor, Alex Timbers, and songwriter, Michael Friedman.

Breaker describes his character and the course of events in the play the propels him as such: "He and his buddies have decided to, essentially, swear off sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll - they've been doing it for some time, and now it's time to stop this for three years. The bummer is that four really gorgeous girls come into town, right after we decide that."

Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis sums up the daring venture best, observing, "We are premiering a major new American musical," which is clearly not an overstatement given the radical re-interpretation of the material by Timbers and Friedman.

"We didn't do workshops of this, we didn't do out-of-town tryouts, we just said, 'Let's go and put it in the Delacorte.' And that spirit of risk-taking is, I hope, the spirit of the show," Eustis says.

The official description the new LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST is as follows: "Romance, revelry and enchanting music ignite in this contemporary yet lovingly faithful musical adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy. The King and his best buds decide at their five-year college reunion to swear off the joys of women. But when four cute, clever girls from their past show up, they're forced to reconsider all of that nonsense! Smart, sexy, outrageous, and irreverent, LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST is a madcap celebration of true love and coming of age."

LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST runs now through August 18 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. More information is available at the official site here.

Listen to the NPR segment on LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST featuring Breaker, Timbers and more below.

Photo Credit: Tammy Shell