Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Moments
A Midsummer's Night in
Central Park
Shakespeare in the Park,
a New York institution since 1957,
is as much a part of a New York summer as fireworks on
the Fourth of July. The outdoor free event at the open-air
Delacorte Theater in Central Park was the brainchild of the
late Joseph Papp, who founded the Public Theater. Each
summer usually features a revival of a Shakespeare play
featuring a large company, including at least one or more
“names” from film or television. The 2008 slate featured
Hamlet
and that other Shakspearean classic rock musical
(I'm kidding)
Hair.
Productions run from June to early Sep-
tember. Depending on the star power, tickets can be quite
scarce.
The Delacorte Theater, next to Belvedere Castle near
79th Street and West Drive, is a dream—on a starry night,
there's no better stage in town. Tickets are distributed at
the theater free on a first-come, first-served basis (two per
person) at 1pm on the day of the performance. The Dela-
corte might have 1,881 seats, but each is a hot commodity;
whatever the show, people line up next to the theater 2 to
3 hours in advance (even earlier if a big name is involved).
You can also pick up same-day tickets between 1 and
3pm at the Public Theater, at 425 Lafayette St. For more
information, call the Public Theater at
&
212/539-8500
or the Delacorte at
&
212/535-4284,
or visit
www.public
theater.org
.
Free concerts by the
New York Philharmonic
and the
Metropolitan Opera
are held under the stars on Central
Park's Great Lawn and in parks throughout the five bor-
oughs. For schedules, call the Philharmonic at
&
212/875-
5656
or the Metropolitan Opera at
&
212/362-6000.
The
Philharmonic lists its upcoming gigs at www.newyork
philharmonic.org, under “Attend Concerts.”
suited to sports than to concerts, or in-the-round events such as the
Ice Capades, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. If you end
up with seats in the back, you'd better have binoculars.
You'll find far better sightlines at the
Theater at Madison Square
Garden,
an amphitheater-style auditorium with 5,600 seats. Watch
