From Meryl Streep to James Earl Jones to Anne Hathaway: The Many Times Celebrities Starred in Shakespeare in the Park

From Meryl Streep to James Earl Jones to Anne Hathaway: The Many Times Celebrities Starred in Shakespeare in the Park

The upcoming production of Twelfth Night is the latest in a long line of star-studded productions.

The Public Theater is getting ready for its latest Free Shakespeare in the Park production, which has a celebrity-filled cast that includes Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o and Emmy winners Peter Dinklage, Sandra Oh, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. But if you’re a longtime lover of the annual New York tradition, you know that celebrities performing Shakespeare outside in Central Park is not a new thing. 

In fact, the first-ever Shakespeare in the Park production at the Delacorte Theater took place in 1962: Merchant of Venice starring George C. Scott and James Earl Jones. The program, created by Joseph Papp, has since become a must-attend event for both New Yorkers and celebrities alike. For instance, a young Meryl Streep played Kate in Taming of the Shrew in 1978, and Patrick Stewart played Prospero in a 1993 production of The Tempest. In 2009, Audra McDonald and Anne Hathaway played Olivia and Viola, respectively, in a Twelfth Night where Raúl Esparza played Orsino—talk about an epic love triangle. Not to mention, Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer starred opposite each other in a 1989 version of Twelfth Night (who knew that play, in particular, was so beloved among celebrities?).

It hasn’t been just Shakespeare plays: Natalie Portman and Philip Seymour Hoffman acted opposite each other in The Seagull in 2001, while Denis O’Hare and Amy Adams played The Baker and his wife in Into the Woods in 2012.

And so many more. In honor of the Delacorte Theater reopening this summer after a long hiatus and renovation, look back on the many star-studded productions of Shakespeare in the Park. 

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Photos: Shakespeare in the Park Through the Years

For those who want to attend this summer’s production of Twelfth Night in person, tickets will be distributed in Central Park for that day’s performances, as well as at the Public Theater and designated spots across NYC’s five boroughs. There will also be a digital lottery via TodayTix. Learn more here.