Theatre Darlings Come Out for Hamlet's Opening Night in Central Park

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Photo Features Theatre Darlings Come Out for Hamlet's Opening Night in Central Park

Cast members Solea Pfeiffer, Laughton Royce, and Ato Blankson-Wood kept things playful on the red carpet.

By Leah Putnam

June 29, 2023

Solea Pfeiffer, Laughton Royce, and Ato Blankson-Wood Vi Dang

Theatre darlings came out in their best for the opening night of The Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Hamlet. The red carpet was rolled out at Central Park's Delacorte Theater June 28 for the play, which began previews June 10. Tony winner Kenny Leon directs the engagement through August 6. Read the reviews here.

Starring Tony nominee Ato Blankson-Wood as the titular character, Hamlet's cast also features Brandon Gill, Tyrone Mitchell Henderson, Greg Hildreth, Colby Lewis, Warner Miller, Daniel Pearce, Solea Pfeiffer, Nick Rehberger, John Douglas Thompson, Lorraine Toussaint, and Mitchell Winter.

Ensemble members include Mikhail Calliste, Safiya Kaija Harris, Lauren Hayes, LaWanda Hopkins, Jaylon Jamal, TrÍ Lê, Cornelius McMoyler, Laughton Royce, Lance Alexander Smith, and Lark White. Rounding out the company as understudies are Liam Craig, Myxolydia Tyler, William Oliver Watkins, and Bryce Michael Wood.

Coming out in support of the show were the likes of Patti LuPone, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Corey Hawkins, André De Shields, Wendell Pierce, Questlove, Aaron Tveit, Larissa FastHorse, J. Smith Cameron, Donna Murphy, and more. See photos of them and the other opening night attendees for Hamlet in the gallery below.

Go Inside Opening Night of Free Shakespeare in the Park's Hamlet

Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Christopher Fitzgerald, Patti LuPone, and Steven Pasquale_HR — Go Inside Opening Night of Free Shakespeare in the Park's Hamlet

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Company_HR — Company of Free Shakespeare in the Park's *Hamlet*

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Lance Alexander Smith_HR — Lance Alexander Smith

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Solea Pfeiffer, Laughton Royce, and Ato Blankson-Wood_HR — Solea Pfeiffer, Laughton Royce, and Ato Blankson-Wood

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Warner Miller_HR — Warner Miller

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Mitchell Winter_HR — Mitchell Winter

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_John Douglas Thompson_HR — John Douglas Thompson

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Ato Blankson-Wood and Solea Pfeiffer_HR — Ato Blankson-Wood and Solea Pfeiffer

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Ato Blankson-Wood_HR — Ato Blankson-Wood

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_William Oliver Watkins_HR — William Oliver Watkins

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Lark White_HR — Lark White

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Myxolydia Tyler_HR — Myxolydia Tyler

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Laughton Royce_HR — Laughton Royce

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Lauryn Hayes_HR — Lauryn Hayes

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Safiya Harris_HR — Safiya Harris

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Colby Lewis_HR — Colby Lewis

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Nick Rehberger_HR — Nick Rehberger

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Solea Pfeiffer and Nick Rehberger_HR — Solea Pfeiffer and Nick Rehberger

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Safiya Harris and Solea Pfeiffer_HR — Safiya Harris and Solea Pfeiffer

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Solea Pfeiffer_HR — Solea Pfeiffer

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Greg Hildreth_HR — Greg Hildreth

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Bryce Michael Wood_HR — Bryce Michael Wood

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Cornelius McMoyler_HR — Cornelius McMoyler

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Lorraine Toussaint_HR — Lorraine Toussaint

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Tyrone Mitchell Henderson_HR — Tyrone Mitchell Henderson

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Liam Craig_HR — Liam Craig

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Daniel Pearce_HR — Daniel Pearce

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_LaWanda Hopkins_HR — LaWanda Hopkins

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Brandon Gill_HR — Brandon Gill

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Jason Hackett and Mandy Hackett_HR — Jason Hackett and Mandy Hackett

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Corey Stoll and Nadia Bowers_HR — Corey Stoll and Nadia Bowers

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Teyonah Parris_HR — Teyonah Parris

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Corey Hawkins_HR — Corey Hawkins

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Taylor Neisen and Liev Schreiber_HR — Taylor Neisen and Liev Schreiber

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Margaret Odette and Grantham Coleman_HR — Margaret Odette and Grantham Coleman

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Latoya Edwards_HR — Latoya Edwards

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Lydia Diamond_HR — Lydia Diamond

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Margaret Odette_HR — Margaret Odette

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Judy Kuhn_HR — Judy Kuhn

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Zoë Winters_HR — Zoë Winters

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_J. Smith-Cameron_HR — J. Smith-Cameron

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Carter Redwood_HR — Carter Redwood

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Questlove_HR — Questlove

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Lindsay Mendez and J. Alex Brinson_HR — Lindsay Mendez and J. Alex Brinson

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_David Hyde Pierce and Brian Hargrove_HR — David Hyde Pierce and Brian Hargrove

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Paige Davis_HR — Paige Davis

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Patrick Page_HR — Patrick Page

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Wendell Pierce and Kenny Leon_HR — Wendell Pierce and Kenny Leon

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Josh Radnor_HR — Josh Radnor

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Wendell Pierce and Erika Woods_HR — Wendell Pierce and Erika Woods

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Ericka Hunter and Aaron Tveit_HR — Ericka Hunter and Aaron Tveit

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Stephanie Rolland_HR — Stephanie Rolland

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_LaTanya Richardson Jackson_HR — LaTanya Richardson Jackson

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Ilana Glazer and David Rooklyn_HR — Ilana Glazer and David Rooklyn

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Donna Murphy_HR — Donna Murphy

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Gloria Reuben_HR — Gloria Reuben

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Michael Stuhlbarg_HR — Michael Stuhlbarg

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Kenny Leon_HR — Kenny Leon

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_André De Shields_HR — André De Shields

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Larissa FastHorse_HR — Larissa FastHorse

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Earon Chew Nealey_HR — Earon Chew Nealey

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Cheris Broadbelt_HR — Cheris Broadbelt

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_Travis Bihn_HR — Travis Bihn

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Hamlet_Shakespeare in the Park_Opening Night_2023_David Ryan Smith and Amelia Workman_HR — David Ryan Smith and Amelia Workman

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The outdoor production features choreography by Camille A. Brown, scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Jessica Jahn, lighting design by Allen Lee Hughes, sound design by Justin Ellington, video design by Jeff Sugg, music composition by Jason Michael Webb, and hair, wig, and makeup design by Earon Chew Nealey. Karyn Meek serves as production stage manager.

READ: Ato Blankson-Wood and Marcel Spears Are a Pair of Hamlets for the (Modern) Ages

Performances were originally scheduled to begin June 8, but the Public canceled the first two previews due to dangerous air quality in NYC. Free tickets are distributed in a variety of ways across all five boroughs. The Public shared details about the program on social media.

Hamlet has been previously staged at The Delacorte four times. It was last seen 15 years ago in a 2008 production featuring Michael Stuhlbarg in the title role and Lauren Ambrose as Ophelia, Andre Braugher as Claudius, and David Harbour as Laertes, directed by Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. Michael Rudman directed Sam Waterston as Hamlet in 1975, also featuring Ruby Dee as Gertrude and John Lithgow at Laertes. In 1972, the production was directed by Gerald Freedman, featuring Stacy Keach as Hamlet, James Earl Jones as Claudius, Sam Waterston as Laertes, Raul Julia as Osric, and Colleen Dewhurst as Gertrude. In 1964, two years after The Delacorte opened, Public Theater Founder Joseph Papp directed a production featuring Alfred Ryder in the title role, with Howard Da Silva as Claudius and Julie Harris as Ophelia.

Since 1962, over six million people have enjoyed more than 150 free productions of Shakespeare and other classical works and musicals in The Public’s home in Central Park.

For more information visit PublicTheater.org.

Go Inside Opening Night of Free Shakespeare in the Park's Hamlet

Go Inside Opening Night of Free Shakespeare in the Park's Hamlet

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