Shakespeare and Laura Linney
What a weekend! Between the reshoots on Duplicity (which were a lot of fun but incredibly long hours!), I managed to still enjoy myself!
Last night I had the distinct pleasure of getting my hands on a ticket to the Public Theatre’s production of the oft-quoted “Hamlet”, arguably the Bard’s most well known piece, at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. The Delacorte is truly a wonderful venue, an outdoor theatre with the Belvadere Castle and the resevoir as a backdrop. We couldn’t ask for a better night as it had just rained earlier in the day which allowed for clear skies through the night. My dear friends Eagen and Hillary (sisters who live together and make me wish I had siblings) had stood in line at 8 am in the park to get the tickets (which are handed out at 1 pm, for free, hence the line starting at dawn). They even brought along a towel to dry our seats and a bottle of wine (thought we never broke that out) — how lucky am I??!?!
This would have been enough, but not only did my friends make my night, but we also saw Laura Linney as we were in line for the bathroom! She was so gracious, so kind, and so down to earth as she stood in line for the restroom like everyone else and sat in “normal people” seats, as we noted. No, we didn’t stalk her, but yes we did follow her oh so enviably perfect beige trenchcoat as she maneuvered the slippery steps to her seat (almost as high up as ours!). The best part was her hair. She had a headband in to keep her frizzy, not-so-perfect blonde hair out of her eyes, because the day’s weather was SO humid. It made the three of us girls very happy to see that. I have to say I think she is one of the best actresses of this generation and love everything she does. The John Adams mini-series on HBO was superb, and I just so happen to have had the pleasure of working with her co-star on that venture, the amiable and inemitable Mr. Paul Giamatti. To have laughed with Paul on Saturday night about buying him a Big Mac from Mcdonalds, and then to be face to face with Laura the next night at Hamlet made my weekend. I love this town!
As for the show itself, I was quite impressed with the actor who portrayed the title character. He was quite good, albeit also quite short. His treatment of the words had a new spin to it and he brought new life to the role, I thought. It was a much funnier take on the show than I have ever seen performed. As an added bonus, the cast also included Mr. Sam Waterston (aka, Jack McCoy on Law & Order), who happened to play the lead in the 1975 show at Shakespeare in the Park. This time around, 32 years later, he is playing Polonius and he does an excellent job of it.
I recommend trying to see this show, and I believe this is the last week! Then they are off for a few weeks before they bring back Hair.
