At a Citizens Bank branch in the Westchester Square neighborhood, hundreds of New Yorkers started lining up in the wee hours of Wednesday, Aug. 13, to score free tickets for the Shakespeare in the Park performance at Central Park’s newly renovated Delacorte Theater.
The giveaway marked the only opportunity to get tickets at a Bronx Citizens Bank branch, but the bank is holding several other distributions in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Throughout August and September, tickets will be distributed at a record-high 31 locations in all five boroughs, including libraries, schools and more.
Demand for the performances always runs high, but this year’s rendition of Shakespeare’s comedy “Twelfth Night” has major star power, featuring Sandra Oh and Luipta N’yongo in leading roles. And because there were no performances last year during renovations, audiences eager to see the new space have lined up in droves in every borough.
Temperatures soared near 90 degrees, but the line stretched around the block from the Citizens Bank branch at 1756 Crosby Ave.
People waited for hours, sitting on camp chairs, eating lunch and reading books ahead of the noon giveaway, when an unannounced number of vouchers were distributed along with free cookies, water bottles and green Citizens tote bags as a reward for their patience.
The first people in line said they arrived at 6:30 a.m. Matthew Ruehlman, an actor who has played roles in “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” said he was especially excited about this year’s show.
“I’ve always wanted to see these actors,” he said.
Ruehlman said he actually lives near Central Park but ventured into the East Bronx for the first time after hearing reports of dozens of people lining up before 6 a.m. at the theater.
Ryn Miake-Lye, who lives in Riverdale (“but not the ritzy part”) said she was happy to see a show that examines gender and identity “in an era where LGBTQ is under threat from the federal government.”
“Twelfth Night,” which opens with the famous line, “If music be the food of love, play on,” features all kinds of chaos, confusion and trickery, including a shipwreck, a love triangle, a woman character disguised as a man and general uncertainty around who’s really who and what their intentions are. But in the end, all the lovers end up correctly paired with each other.
Miake-Lye described the play as “delightful, clever, and intellectual” and said she was excited to see it performed by this group of actors.
“It’s a diverse cast. It’s not your grandfather’s Shakespeare,” she said.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
