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The Public Theater Mobile Unit presents Shakespeare in your park, with a song
By
Precious Fondren
Published May 19, 2023
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Peter Cooper
By
Precious Fondren
Published May 19, 2023
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The Public Theater is known for its “Shakespeare in the Park” productions at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater, a hot ticket every summer. But that’s not the only place the Public Theater is presenting Shakespeare outside of its downtown home this season. Right now, its Mobile Unit is performing a new original adaptation of “The Comedy of Errors” in public spaces throughout the city. The classic play, now reborn as a musical, is delivered in both Spanish and English to reach new audiences.
Tonight, the 90-minute show will be performed at A.R.R.O.W. Field House in Astoria, Queens. It comes to Johnny Hartman Plaza in Hamilton Heights on Saturday, and returns to Queens on Sunday afternoon to complete its tour at Corona Plaza. Then it opens at the Public Theater on May 25, running through June 11. All performances are free.
The main idea behind Mobile Unit is to bring theater to the people, rather than the other way around. Productions are designed to happen in parks, community centers and correctional facilities.
“The special thing about Mobile Unit is that it's free and open to the public, and it’s also accessible,” said Praycious Wilson-Gay, Mobile Unit's interim director. To reach new communities, the Public Theater partners with shelters, libraries, schools and other grassroots organizations.
“We have no expectation for you all to come to the Public Theater and see our shows,” Wilson-Gay said, “because we come directly to your neighborhood by partnering with these various organizations.”
Keren Lugo portrays Luciana in the Mobile Unit's new adaptation of "The Comedy of Errors."
Peter Cooper
A recent performance of “The Comedy of Errors” in Brooklyn’s Von King Park illustrated just how unconventional the Mobile Unit concept is. There’s no behind the scenes, no place where actors can run to change outfits or prep for their next appearance. Transitions usually hidden from the audience are put front and center. Props are minimal, and outdoor shows are performed with natural lighting.
The production was adapted by director and choreographer Rebecca Martínez and composer Julián Mesri, who drew inspiration from popular Latin American musical styles. In their version, actors alternate between singing and speaking in Spanish and English.
“Rebecca and Julián have done a wonderful job this year by the addition of music, and giving characters who necessarily weren't championed in the traditional script a moment to shine in this year's iteration,” Wilson-Gay said.
Martínez says she and Mesri chose to retell “The Comedy of Errors” because they felt it was the Shakespeare play that most represented the times we currently live in.
“We wanted to have some comedy, I wanted to have some joy, I wanted to have a feeling of celebration,” she said. “But in reality, this is a play about family separation. And it's a play about a country that has put up borders, and has actually made it illegal for people from another country to enter. And those are very serious stakes.”
Danaya Esperanza and Gían Pérez act out in the open, with minimal sets and props, in the Mobile Unit staging of "The Comedy of Errors."
Peter Cooper
This is the first time Martínez has directed a Mobile Unit presentation. She says it’s important to make theater accessible for as many people as possible.
“I think it was last week where someone wrote in one of the post-show surveys that it was the first play that they had ever seen,” she said. “And that's huge. Theater can be very cost prohibitive. And distance can be tricky and challenging for folks.”
Sarah Eisemann, an actor herself, came to see “The Comedy of Errors” with friends. She hopes free opportunities like this help to build community.
“We have proven that art in general, theater specifically, creates empathy, creates community and brings people together,” Eisemann said. “Bringing all of that to the community, so they don't have to pay for it, means that we are developing our collective imagination, we're developing our collective empathy. We're developing our community together – and the art is doing that.”
“The Comedy of Errors” tours public spaces through Sunday. It opens on May 25 at the Public Theater, offering free performances through June 11.
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theater
Precious Fondren
Precious is a former WNYC & Gothamist culture reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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