To Be or Not To Be

I was introduced last night to the time honored tradition of Shakespeare in the Park. Each summer, the Public Theater provides free performances of Shakespeare plays in Central Park at the Delacorte Amphitheatre. Now, every free theater performance that I have ever been to--whether it was Shakespeare by the Sea in So-Cal or those silly westerns each summer in Vernal--has always been filled with an all-volunteer amateur cast, a dilapidated and hand painted set, and a poor sound system that picks up more wind than actors' voices. So, I was pleasantly surprised when this performance was top-notch with A-list actors from the NYC area as well as professional sets and costumes. I would have been happy to pay money for this show!

The selection this year was Hamlet, set in the post-World War II era and was headlined by none other than Andre Braugher, Sam Waterston, and Margaret Colin, to name a few. . . ain't it grand living in NYC?