The Public Theater has announced yesterday that "Modern Family" star Jesse Tyler Ferguson will appear this summer in William Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors" in Central Park. Daniel Sullivan will direct him in the role of Dromio, and Hamish Linklater will perform the role of Antipholus. The two actors will play two sets of identical twins, all oblivious that their siblings are in town and causing confusion. The production will run for five weeks at the Delacorte Theater beginning May 28.
The actors have appeared onstage together for Shakespeare in the Park in the 2010 production of "A Winter's Tale". Furguson also performed in "A Midsummer Night's dream" in 2007, and Linklater in "The Merchant of Venice" in 2010. Additionally, Linklater appeared opposite Julia louis Dreyfus on "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and Alan Rickman in Theresa Rebeck's Broadway production "Seminar". He is currently in the series "The Newsroom" and his play, "The Vandal", is running at The Flea Theater.
He recently told an interviewer he anticipates his return to the Delacorte Theater. "I love it there. I want to act in a big outdoor space where people pay by lining up - they pay with their time instead of their money." He went on to comment, "it's just the best audience. It's the closest you're ever going to get to whatever Shakespeare must have had."
Alex Timbers has directed and adapted a musical version of "Love's Labour's Lost" with songs by Michael Friedman, a founding associate artist of The Civilians, that will run as the second show in The Public Theater's free Shakespeare in the Park series. The musical, which will run from July 23 through Aug. 18, will be the first of its kind at the Delacorte since "Two Gentlemen of Veron, The Musical" in 1971.
Timbers and Friedman worked togther recently on the Broadway musical "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson." Timbers other projects include co-directing "Peter and the Starcatcher" and helming "The Pee-wee Herman Show."
The Delacorte has been offering free performances of Shakespeare in the Park since 1962. Since then, more than 5 million people have attended and they have held more than 150 productions, usually two each summer, with stars from George C. Scott to Natalie Portman.
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