shakespeare in the rain

OMG! Last night I saw Hamlet at the Delacorte in Central Park. It was soooooooooooooo fucking amazing. You guys have to go.

My synopsis of the evening:
As soon as I found out I had a pair of tickets I contacted my friend Irene and we eventually met up at the theater. It started to drizzle but I refused to spend $6 on a garbage bag to wear. After 8 crew members squeegeed the stage twice the show eventually when on, in the rain, which began to get heavier, but not wash out conditions. The rain eventually stopped at intermission but then started during the final scene. I didn't care. I was so captivated by the staging and the scenery and Michael Stuhlbarg, who played the title character.

I've read theater articles that proclaim that Raul Esparza is the finest actor of this generation, but I have to disagree and say that the two times I've seen Michael Stuhlbarg on stage he's just blown everyone else around him out of the water. He's wonderful, and it's magical just to watch him perform. Raul is pretty great, but he's not in the same league as Michael.

After 3 1/2 hours of Shakespeare, I finally went home, tired and wet, but thrilled. I have to find a way to go back.

How I got the tickets and how you can get them too:
Long live the internet! You know how in the past you used to have to go to Central Park at the butt-crack of dawn and wait in line for hours for a free ticket. Well, now you can go the website of the Public Theater and register yourself so you can sign up on line for a pair of free tickets on the day of a performance you want to attend. It was really simple and stress free. I'm sure I got tickets because of the weather situation, but it was an amazing experience that I'll always keep in my head and heart.

Why you need to see yet another version of Hamlet:
Because, it's an amazing piece of text that has stood the test of time. It's probably one of Shakespeare's finest plays. It's wonderfully directed, acted, teched, etc, etc. It's exciting and funny and heartbreaking. It's in one of the most beautiful parks in the entire world. It's such a New York thing to do that must be experienced at least once in your lifetime. This is an exciting version of this great play. Everything was done to make it it's own piece. It didn't aim to be different than all of the other Hamlet's in all of the rest of the world and time, it just was, and it was just plain wonderful.

And if you end up with an extra ticket and you don't know what to do with it, please, by all means, give me a call. I don't mind being anyone's date.