Shakespeare in the Park to Remount Twelfth Night Musical; Othello Also on Tap

The Public Theater has announced the 2018 season of free Shakespeare in the Park productions. The beloved outdoor theater program will mount a new production of Othello (May 29-June 24) followed by a reimagined take on the 2016 Public Works musical adaptation of Twelfth Night (July 17-August 19) conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah and featuring an original score by Shaina Taub. Tony winner Nikki M. James will be among the original stars reprising their performances for Twelfth Night. Tony winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson will direct Othello with Kwei-Armah and Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis at the helm of Twelfth Night. The Shakespeare in the Park productions are performed at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

“Public Works has been the most exciting new program The Public has created in a generation,” said Eustis. “Our Labor Day weekend pageants for the past five years have been greeted with rapture and imitation, having spawned sister projects in Dallas, Detroit, Seattle and the National Theatre in London. This summer, we are making a huge leap forward by presenting a full-length run of a Public Works show: Shaina Taub and Kwame Kwei-Armah's delightful and intoxicating musical version of Twelfth Night. Surrounded by a huge ensemble of community members, Twelfth Night will reach an enormously expanded audience with the deep Public Works message that everyone is an artist, and we are all in this together.”

“The Public has not presented Othello in the Park since 1991,” Eustis continued. “In a moment in America where issues of race, racism and violence are engaging us all, the time is right to explore Shakespeare's great tragedy in America's most public theater in the middle of Central Park. We are also proud to present the Delacorte directorial debut of Ruben Santiago-Hudson, long one of the most beloved members of our family as actor and playwright, whose career as a director has soared in the past few seasons.”

In addition to James returning to her memorable performance as Viola, Twelfth Night will feature stage stars Andrew Kober as Malvolio, Jacob Ming-Trent as Sir Toby Belch and composer Taub as Feste, all reprising their roles from the original Public Works production. Casting for Othello will be announced at a later date.

For information on ticket distribution for free Shakespeare in the Park productions, click here.