Bridge. The rooftop view of Manhattan at night was more spectacular than anything the Grucci family could come up with.
Saturday I saw an excellent Patti LuPone at Caramoor in Katonah in her "Far Away Places" concert, but the real excitement for me over the Fourth of July weekend was winning the lottery for the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park's final performance Sunday of "Much Ado About Nothing." The cast included
Lily Rabe, Hamish Linklater and Brian Stokes Mitchell. I've been entering this lottery daily for over a year, rather than schlep over to the Delacorte Theater in Central Park at 6 in the morning to wait on line for a chance to get tickets. When I got the email with "Congratulations!" I was elated.
The night was magical, the weather perfect. The set for Shakespeare's comedy was an Italian villa, complete with a garden of tomatoes, grapevines and an orange tree.
Rabe as Beatrice and Linklater as Benedick had great chemistry. She has an unusual voice and real stage presence. When she is off stage, you find yourself waiting for her to come back.Ismenia Mendes was excellent as Hero, Beatrice's cousin, as was John Glover who played Hero's father Leonato.
To hear Stokes Mitchell as Don Pedro sing was an unexpected treat.
John Pankow was hilarious as Dogberry.
The entire cast was terrific at bringing the words of Shakespeare to life. The actors were incredibly comfortable with the language and at transmitting the meaning of the Bard's words. Their joy at performing is also infectious. The audience was in an appreciative good mood.
Of course, people-watching is another favorite activity at the Delacorte. Catching the last performance of "Much Ado" was one of my favorite actors, Alan Rickman who was there with Rima Horton. Rickman starred with Rabe and Linklater in "Seminar" on Broadway. Former New York Times theater critic Frank Rich was also in the audience.
Coming up next is "King Lear." I'll keep trying the lottery!
