HS ([personal profile] hes) wrote2009-06-10 09:03 am

Playbill: Play On: Starry Twelfth Night Begins Central Park Run June 10

Play On: Starry Twelfth Night Begins Central Park Run June 10

By Adam Hetrick
June 10, 2009

Academy Award-nominated actress Anne Hathaway heads a cast of stage and screen veterans in the Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night, which begins performances June 10 at the outdoor Delacorte Theater.

Tony-winning director Daniel Sullivan (Proof, The Homecoming, Rabbit Hole) directs the free summer offering, the first of the Public Theater's 2009 Shakespeare in the Park productions.

Twelfth Night will officially open June 25 and run through July 12.

In Shakespeare's cross-dressing tale of mistaken identity, Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married") stars as Viola with Stark Sands (Journey's End) as her twin brother Sebastian, who both wash ashore on the mysterious land of Illyria following a shipwreck.

Twelfth Night also features four-time Tony winner Audra McDonald(110 in the Shade, Master Class, Ragtime) as Olivia, Tony-winning actress Julie White (The Little Dog Laughed) as Maria, three-time Tony nominee Raúl Esparza (Company, Speed-the-Plow) as Orsino, two-time Tony nominee David Pittu (What's That Smell?) as Feste, Michael Cumpsty (Sunday in the Park with George) as Malvolio, Hamish Linklater (The Busy World Is Hushed) as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Jay O. Sanders (Midsummer Night's Dream) as Sir Toby Belch, Herb Foster (A Midsummer Night's Dream) as Valentine, Kevin Kelly (Much Ado About Nothing) as Sea Captain, Baylen Thomas (Cyrano de Bergerac) as Curio and Jon Patrick Walker (Young Frankenstein) as Fabian.

Completing the ensemble are Charles Borland, Andrew Crowe, Steve Curtis, Clifton Duncan, David Kenner, Leslie Harrison, Slate Holmgren, Christopher Layer, Robin LeMon, Dorien Makhloghi, Ray Rizzo, Julie Sharbutt and Zach Villa.

Twelfth Night features an original score by Brooklyn-based folk-rock band Hem, comprising vocalist Sally Ellyson, pianist Dan Messe, and guitarists Gary Maurer and Steve Curtis.

The production has designs by John Lee Beatty (scenic design), Jane Greenwood (costume design), Peter Kaczorowski (lighting design), Acme Sound Partners (sound design), Rick Sordelet (fight director) and Mimi Lieber (choreography).

Performances of Shakespeare in the Park are Tuesday-Sunday at 8 PM. Tickets are free and are available on the day of the performance (two per person) at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park beginning at 1 PM, or by entering the Public's online ticketing lottery at PublicTheater.

The closest entrances to the Delacorte are located at 81st Street and Central Park West or 70th Street and Fifth Avenue.