The Public Postpones PIRATES OF PENZANCE Benefit Until Tomorrow

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced today that due to inclement weather, The Public Theater Gala performance of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE will now happen on the rain date, Tuesday, June 11 at 8:00 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. A stand-by line for tomorrow's concert performance will start forming at 6:00 p.m. with any available tickets given out just prior to curtain.

The performance of The Comedy of Errors on Tuesday, June 11 will be cancelled for that night, and the show will resume on Wednesday, June 12 at 8:30 p.m.

The complete cast of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE features Glenn Close as Ruth, Rocío Del Mar Vallés as Isabel, Montego Glover as Kate, Jonathan Groff as Frederic, Eric Idle as The Sergeant, Kevin Kline as The Pirate King, Norm Lewis as Samuel, Anika Noni Rose as Mabel, Martin Short as Major-General Stanley, and Betsy Wolfe as Edith. The cast will also include Becca Ayers, Craig Bennett, Sarah Bolt, Alvin Crawford, Doug Eskew, MaryAnn Hu, Amy Justman, Justin Keyes, Orville Mendoza, Darius Nichols, Eliseo Roman, Martín Solá, Asa Somers, Matthew Stocke, Frank Vlastnik, and Kevin Vortmann in the ensemble.

Directed by Ted Sperling, with musical staging by original choreographer Graciela Daniele, and music direction by James Moore, the benefit concert will be staged at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park where The Public's award-winning production originally premiered more than three decades ago. The Public has a long history of premiering new musicals at the Delacorte Theater that have made a strong impact on the landscape of musical theater and are still performed around the world today.

Inspired to produce the classics for free in a more popular arena, Public Theater founder Joe Papp brought Gilbert and Sullivan's delightful pirate tale, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, to the Delacorte Theater in a groundbreaking, rock-infused, modern staging starring Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith. It was an overnight sensation, moving to Broadway in 1981 where it won the Tony Award for Best Revival.

The Public Theater's free Shakespeare in the Park continues to be the bedrock of the Company's mission to increase access. Since the opening of The Delacorte Theater in Central Park in 1962, more than five million people have enjoyed more than 150 free productions of Shakespeare and other classical works and musicals at The Delacorte Theater.

Bank of America returns for the seventh year as season sponsor of Shakespeare in the Park supporting The Public in its mission to keep this valued program free for all.

The Delacorte Theater officially opened in Central Park on June 18, 1962 with The Merchant of Venice, directed by Joseph Papp and Gladys Vaughan and featuring George C. Scott as Shylock. The Merchant of Venice was followed that summer by a production of The Tempest, directed by Gerald Freedman and featuring Paul Stevens as Prospero and James Earl Jones as Caliban. The first Delacorte summer season concluded with King Lear, directed by Joseph Papp and Gladys Vaughan and featuring Frank Silvera as Lear. Since that time more than 150 productions have been presented for free at the Delacorte Theater. Highlights of past productions include Othello in 1964 with James Earl Jones; Hamlet in 1975 with Sam Waterston; The Taming of the Shrew in 1978 with Raul Julia and Meryl Streep; The Pirates of Penzance in 1980 with Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt; Henry V in 1984 with Kevin Kline; Much Ado About Nothing in 1988 with Kevin Kline and Blythe Danner;Richard III in 1990 with Denzel Washington; Othello in 1991 with Raul Julia and Christopher Walken; The Tempest in 1995 with Patrick Stewart; The Seagull in 2001 with Natalie Portman, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Philip Seymour Hoffman; Mother Courage in 2006 with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline; Macbeth in 2006 with Liev Schreiber; HAIR in 2008 with Jonathan Groff and Will Swenson; Twelfth Night in 2009 with Anne Hathaway; The Merchant of Venice in 2010 with Al Pacino and Lily Rabe; the 2011 repertory productions of All's Well That Ends Well and Measure for Measure; and most recently in 2012 As You Like It featuring Lily Rabe; and Amy Adams, Denis O'Hare, and Donna Murphy in the beloved musical Into The Woods.

Completed in October 2012, the revitalization of The Public Theater's downtown home at Astor Place physically manifests the Company's core mission of sparking new dialogues and increasing accessibility for artists and audiences by dramatically opening up its landmark building to the street and community, and transforming the lobby into a public piazza for artists, students, and audiences. Designed by Ennead Architects and constructed by Westerman Construction, the project encompasses enhancements to the building's interior and exterior while preserving the historic structure. Key elements of the design include infrastructure updates to the 158-year old building, as well as construction of new exterior entry stair and glass canopy; installation of ramps for improved accessibility; an expanded and refurbished lobby; the addition of a mezzanine level with a new lounge, The Library at The Public, designed by the Rockwell Group; expansion and remodeling of restroom facilities; and comprehensive exterior restoration, ensuring stability of the landmark façade.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public Theater is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare and the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to its beloved, free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all, new and experimental stagings at The Public at Astor Place, and a range of artist and audience development initiatives including its Public Forum series, which brings together theater artists and professionals from a variety of disciplines for discussions that shed light on social issues explored in Public productions. The Public Theater is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust provides leadership support for The Public Theater's year-round activities. www.publictheater.org