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Time Out
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
See historic Shakespeare in the Park costumes at this free exhibit
When William Shakespeare penned all 38 of his plays, people were dressing a bit differently than they do now, to say the least. In order to capture the complete essence of what The Bard was going for, costumes are an integral part of the puzzle that is a production. A collection of the costumes featured in Shakespearean performances at The Delacorte Theater or Public Theater over the theater institution's 60+ year history are on view in a free exhibit through August 31 at the Shiva Theater in Manhattan's Noho neighborhood. Expect to see costumes worn by legendary performers such as Meryl Streep, Raul Julia, Al Pacino, Patrick Stewart, Viola Davis, Angela Bassett, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Goldblum, Vanessa Redgrave, Danny DeVito, Allison Janney and more. The intricately designed costumes have been cut, stitched, dyed, beaded and altered to their respective actors for the 63 years since Shakespeare in the Park began. With the fine netting of tulle, the hard exterior of metal and expert embroidery, these costumes become more complex the more you stare. So, make sure to look, but don't touch. This exhibit was curated by former Director of Costumes Luke McDonough with assistance from current Director of Costumes Vanessa Watters and Associate Director Melinda Basaca. To plan your visit, opening times are: Tuesday-Sunday: 11am-2pm and 5-8pm. Heads up that the exhibit will be closed on Thursday, August 21. After admiring the ornate costumes, be sure to check out the actual Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night starring Peter Dinklage, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Lupita Nyong'o and Sandra Oh. This year's free series runs through September 14. While it's free to attend, ready your patience for the ticket-acquisition process. Here's how to get tickets. This year's Shakespeare in the Park will take place inside the newly updated Delacorte Theater. It first opened in Central Park on June 18, 1962, with The Merchant of Venice, directed by Papp and Gladys Vaughan and featuring George C. Scott as Shylock. In the years since, more than 150 productions have been presented for free at The Delacorte.
Forbes
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Loss And Laughter Collide In Abe Koogler's ‘Deep Blue Sound'
Maryann Plunkett and Mia Katigbak in Clubbed Thumb's 'Deep Blue Sound' 'Lately my plays have been about how fragile the world is, and what it feels like when something you love disappears,' says playwright Abe Koogler. That sense of loss—whether it's the vanishing of an orca pod, a failing relationship, or the slow erosion of community—permeates the wise, funny and heartfelt Deep Blue Sound, now playing at The Public Theater's Shiva Theater. Premiering at Clubbed Thumb's Summerworks festival in 2023, the play—largely comprised of intersecting vignettes, with shades of Our Town—follows a small island community navigating both personal and environmental upheaval. For Koogler, the story is deeply personal. 'I grew up on a small island in the Pacific Northwest, filled with unusual characters and a lot of natural beauty: the water, the woods, the wild animals,' he recalls. 'When we took the ferry boat to Seattle, it would often slow down so as not to disturb the orcas.' While the environmental crisis looms over the play, its characters are equally preoccupied with their own lives. 'They're wondering what their lives mean or have meant,' he says. Though the script has remained largely unchanged since its debut, the production has evolved. 'Some plays come out pretty much fully formed; this was one of those plays,' Koogler says. But the move to The Public has allowed for a richer visual experience. 'There is more weather now, more presence of the natural world. The world of the play has expanded to fill the larger space, while remaining intimate scene to scene.' One of the play's most poignant storylines follows Ella, a woman facing a terminal illness and preparing herself for assisted suicide via the Death with Dignity Act. Koogler approached the subject with nuance and restraint. 'Having known people who made use of assisted suicide to end their lives, I know that it's an emotionally complicated time,' he says. 'There can be a lot of happiness, anger, surreal and absurd moments, fear, connection—it's just as complicated as the rest of life.' Tony Award winner Maryann Plunkett reprises her Obie-winning role as Ella. Koogler calls her 'one of the greats.' 'She is incredibly honest onstage. You never feel like she's acting,' he says. 'She is also so, so funny. And it's incredible to watch how she works on her performance, never settling, always finding new colors and new depths.' Despite the play's weighty themes, humor remains essential: an ineffective mayor (Crystal Finn) and a mysterious, chainsaw-wielding figure (Ryan King) offering side-splitting moments. 'Plays need to be funny first, before they're anything else,' Koogler insists. His previous play, Staff Meal, which ran at Playwrights Horizons, explored similar themes of change and uncertainty, centering on characters also grappling with the loss of something they love. 'In Staff Meal that thing was a restaurant; in Deep Blue Sound it's the whales,' he explains. 'The people in my plays feel upset about the way the world is changing: they can see it happening, and they don't know what to do about it. I think everyone can identify with that confusion and sense of loss in our world right now. 'Like all of my plays, it's about lonely people struggling to connect, My characters are always trying to find their place within larger systems—political, economic, ecological—that are operating in ways they cannot understand.'
