Twelfth Night in Central Park

Last Tuesday, I finally got to see the Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night. Because of my work schedule, Tuesdays are the only days I can wait in line for tickets, and so far every Tuesday in June has been rainy. But the weather seems to be improving, and we lucked out last week. It was a gorgeous day to wait in the park for tickets, and it didn't rain at all in the evening, which was a concern because it's an outdoor theater.

We aimed to get to the park at 6am, but we didn't make it until 6:30am due to a confusion about which trains were running. There was already a long line when we got there, but we were at a good place in line, and didn't have to worry about whether or not we'd get tickets. We brought chairs to sit on and I was able to break away from the line for a quick Starbucks run, so we were nice and caffeinated. Some people were there with blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, and coolers. People really settle in because they know they'll be in line for hours - the tickets are given away at 1pm. (We also brought a decent stash of food along.) They're free, so it's worth the wait. By 9am the line had wrapped around the Central Park reservoir, but a few hours later when I took a walk to look at the line it didn't go that far, since they had already sent all the people home who were too far back to get tickets.

Security is really intense in line. They told us that you had to wait in line the entire time (except for trips to the bathroom and the concession stand by the theater) and that not only could no one join your party, but you couldn't switch out your place in line with anyone else either. A little before 1pm, they actually asked the line of people if they had seen anyone cutting or switching out, and that now was the time to tell them. If someone had been turned in, their whole group of people would have to leave the line. It was really intimidating, but no one where we were had any complaints, probably since everyone knew they were far enough in the front to get a ticket. (My mom had actually switched out with her student teacher, Amanda, around 8am, and I was a little worried that someone would report us, but we weren't getting any more tickets, since each person can get two for free.) It was interesting because I think the line consists mostly of New Yorkers, since tourists probably won't want to waste an entire morning waiting in line for tickets. And I imagine that New Yorkers get pretty worked up about Shakespeare in the Park tickets, were someone to cut the line.

It was a beautiful day in the park to wait for tickets, even though a bird pooped on my hand and a bug flew into Amanda's eye. After we got the tickets, I was able to go home and nap for a bit. There was a huge thunderstorm between 5:30 and 7pm, but by 8pm the skies were clear again. The outdoor theater was beautiful, and watching Shakespeare outside in the middle of the park was wonderful. The set was entirely green astroturf with trees and flowers, so it felt like we were sitting in the middle of a park, not a theater.

The show was one of the best Shakespeare productions I've ever seen. It was flawlessly directed, and the Shakespearean English was made very understandable. I'm pretty familiar with Twelfth Night, but there were some jokes and physical comedy that I had never caught before when reading the play. Anne Hathaway played Viola, and Audra McDonald and Raul Esparza were also in the production, as well as some other theater and Shakespeare in the Park veterans. The music was one of the most unusual parts of the show - they had a "symphonic rock band" named Hem onstage in costume playing period music, and at points the actors sang as well. It complemented the plot, as well as the setting, very well.

I couldn't believe that I had never been to a Shakespeare in the Park show before, and as soon as it was over I wanted to see it again. Now I want to try to go to every performance, especially since they're free. The waiting in line isn't even that bad - in fact, it was fun to be in the park in the morning, people-watching and dog-watching.



These are two NYTimes articles about the show:
The Three Sisters of 'Twelfth Night'
I Love You, You're Perfect. You're A Girl?

It closes July 12th, but if you get a chance this week, go see this show! You won't regret it.