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The Public Theater will kick off this summer’s Free Shakespeare in the Park season with ROMEO & JULIET, beginning performances at the newly revitalized Delacorte Theater in Central Park on Friday, May 22. Directed by Associate Artistic Director and Resident Director Saheem Ali, this will mark the first time in nearly 20 years the story of star-crossed lovers will captivate Free Shakespeare in the Park audiences. The production will run through Sunday, June 28.
Never was there a story of more woe, or more romance, than the Bard’s timeless tale of two young lovers from warring families. As the Montagues and Capulets are torn apart by ideology and simmering violence spills into the streets of the border town of Verona, Romeo and Juliet dare to defy a world determined to keep them apart. In this bold new staging, the play unfolds in English, but Romeo and Juliet speak to one another in Spanish, a language reserved only for their shared world.
The complete cast of ROMEO & JULIET includes Ra’Mya Latiah Aikens (Juliet), Sergio Mauritz Ang (Friar John/Ensemble), Daniel Bravo Hernández (Romeo), Andrés Nicolás Chaves (Ensemble), Rachel Crowl (Apothecary/Ensemble), Reece dos Santos (Balthasar), Caleb Joshua Eberhardt (Mercutio), Jacquernst F. Filias (Ensemble), Glenn Fleshler (Lord Capulet), Francis Jue (Friar Laurence), Ariyan Kassam (Tybalt), LaChanze (Lady Capulet), Martin K. Lewis (Paris), Zack Lopez Roa (Benvolio), Gilda Mercado (Ensemble), Tina Muñoz Pandya (Ensemble), Deirdre O’Connell (Nurse), Jason Manuel Olazábal (Lord Montague), Jessica Pimentel (Escalus), Fedra Ramírez Olivares (Ensemble), Piper Runge (Ensemble), Miles Segura (Ensemble), Mariand Torres (Lady Montague), and Marlon Xavier (Ensemble).
Shakespeare’s classic story of star-crossed lovers has been presented at The Delacorte Theater only twice before. In 1968, Public Theater founder Joseph Papp directed Martin Sheen as Romeo and Susan McArthur as Juliet. Not staged again at The Delacorte for almost 40 years, the 2007 production was directed by Michael Greif and starred Oscar Isaac as Romeo and Lauren Ambrose as Juliet.
Summer Fridays at The Delacorte invites New Yorkers to experience their revitalized theater. On select Fridays (June 5 & 19; August 7, 14 & 21), The Public will host Delacorte Open Houses from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., featuring self-guided tours, onstage photo opportunities, family programming, and a pet-friendly atmosphere. Evenings continue with picnics from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., featuring music, giveaways, and special guests.
