Anticipation for this summer's production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" was already high, well before the Public Theater announced its star-studded cast. Last year, as the company's Delacorte Theater in Central Park got a raccoon-ridding revamp, the Public's annual outdoor stagings went on the road, roaming to sites across the city. It was fun, but it wasn't, y'know, Shakespeare in the Park, that fairly magical experience where either up-and-coming talent or Broadway and Hollywood superstars take center stage for a few weeks in the middle of Central Park.
Now, the Delacorte is finally reopening, and "Twelfth Night" will be its only production until next year. In previous years, with some luck, I've either waited on line in Central Park or won the online ticket lottery, and gotten to see a few fantastic productions. ("Merry Wives" ruled.) But when the cast for "Twelfth Night" was announced, I let out an audible groan. Lupita N'yongo. Sandra Oh. Peter Dinklage. This was going to be a tough one to get into.
While the show hasn't officially opened yet (technically, that's on August 21), you can get tickets for the previews, which started on August 7. And the word on the street (and the r/broadway subreddit) is that the production is very good and very fun. Once the reviews drop after the opening, it's probably game over for trying to get a ticket—people are going to be fighting on the streets. Because the great thing about Shakespeare in the Park? It's free, free, free. (Members at the Public's highest donor levels can buy tickets, but that's a hefty sum. To bastardize the Bard, "Money buys lands, and tickets are sold by fate.")
So in that spirit, and with one week before it officially opens, Hell Gate did a little legwork to uncover the best shot to get yourself two tickets for the Delacorte. (And before you ask—have we ourselves won yet? NO! But damn it, we have a system.)
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