Hundreds of NYC theater lovers line up for hours to snag coveted tickets for Shakespeare in the Park
As usual, Shakespeare said it best.“I am to wait, though waiting so be hell.”Hundreds of some of the Bard’s biggest fans have been suffering through crazy lines, sweltering heat and exhaustion every day this summer for the slim chance of snatching a coveted ticket for the return of “Shakespeare in the Park.”More than 400 people swarmed outside the Delacorte Theater in Central Park alone Friday, many beating the sunrise and even the park opening to secure spots for an 8 p.m.performance of “Twelfth Night” starring Peter Dinklage and Sandra Oh.“It’s worth it,” said Alex Courtney, 38, a welder from Philadelphia, who took the day off work to sink 12 hours in line to grab a pair of tickets for himself and his wife.Courtney secured the very first spot in line by arriving outside Central Park at midnight — a full six hours before the iconic green space even opened to the public.A civil line formed behind him until it was allowed to move toward the ticket window at 6 a.m.
Courtney’s cousin joined him at the front around 2:30 a.m.“It’s a lot of fun, really — waiting out is a part of the experience,” Courtney said.This gigantic line is one of the magic of the actual thing.Peter Dinklage and ‘Twelfth Night’ is going to be great to see, but waiting out here, there’s buskers and people playing music and trying to sell things, which is all a part of the experience.“This is a little group that you kind of create, just the people you meet and talk to,” he said.
“It’s a really good way to build a community and to keep Shakespeare alive.”The hundreds of people camped outside the Delacorte have become a common sight this summer — and they mark the return of The Public Theater’s iconic Shakespeare in the Park after a two-year hiatus.The section of Central Park where the famous program is held has transformed into the likes of a music festival, with temporary bathrooms erected in the greenspace-turned-waiting area and theater lovers d...