Shakespeare in the Park's TWELFTH NIGHT Opens at the Delacorte Theater 6/25

TWELFTH NIGHT officially opens tonight, June 25th and runs through 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, is directed by Daniel Sullivan and features Anne Hathaway as Viola.

Joining Hathaway in the production are 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 will play Valentine; Kevin Kelly will play Sea Captain; Tony nominee Stark Sands will play Sebastian; Baylen Thomas will play Curio; Jon Patrick Walker will play Fabian; and Tony Award winner Julie White will play Maria. TWELFTH NIGHT features original music by symphonic folk-rock band Hem.The Ensemble for TWELFTH NIGHT includes Clifton Duncan, David Kenner, Leslie Harrison, Slate Holmgren, Dorien Makhloghi, Ray Rizzo, and Zach Villa.

TWELFTH NIGHT features original music by symphonic folk-rock band Hem, 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 Public Theater again offers a limited number of free tickets through a Virtual Line, available at www.publictheater.org. The process will be the same as last year where on the day of a show, users can log on to the virtual line anytime between midnight and 1 p.m. to register for tickets for that evening's performance. After 1 p.m. that same day, users can log on to see if they have received tickets through the Virtual Line, which they can then claim at the Delacorte Theater Box Office between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. that evening. A valid photo ID is required for all Virtual Line pick-ups at the box office. The Public Theater will also be implementing a Senior Virtual Line this year which functions the same way as the regular virtual line but registrants must be 65 or older to be eligible.

Summer Supporter tickets for TWELFTH NIGHT and THE BACCHAE are available for a tax-deductible contribution of $170. These reserved seats are only available for a limited time to ensure that the highest number of free seats will be available to distribute to the general public on the day of the show. Summer Supporter tickets help to underwrite production expenses. Supporter tickets are available at The Public Theater Box Office at 425 Lafayette Street or online at www.publictheater.org.

 

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 by Joan Marcus