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 decorating the area with chairs, blankets and even blow-up loungers.
The massive crowd was tame Friday, with the campers keeping themselves busy by chatting, reading, eating snacks, playing board games or cards, napping and working remotely.
Strangers became friends by holding one another’s places in line as they used the bathrooms and went on snack excursions — although there is a 20-minute absence limit that is strictly enforced.
Only one unruly person tried to jump the line by sneaking into the park before it opened at 6 a.m., but staff quickly sent the rogue to the back of the line.
“Everyone’s is very honorable,” said Arthur Night of Brooklyn, who arrived at 5 a.m. for what is his third attempt at grabbing tickets for the “Twelfth Night” show. “They’re honoring the line rules, no one’s cutting, no one’s taking anyone’s place.
“It’s really actually nice. I’ve waited on the lines before, and you had to fight.
Robert Miller
The event’s three separate lines — two of which are dedicated to seniors and disabled patrons — typically stretch so far back that they typically reach a large rock, dubbed the “rock of lost hope” by would-be theater-goers, several hundred feet from the theater.
Around 9 a.m. Friday, theater staff approached the rock and let people know they likely wouldn’t get a ticket — but the warning did little to deter the determined campers.
“I’m vibing, I’m waiting, and I hope to get tickets, but I don’t expect to get tickets. Not today,” said Eliza Yarbrough-Saxon, 25, a choreographer who recently moved to Manhattan.
She and her girlfriend, Nikki Deson, 22, hopped in line at 7 a.m., which regular theater-goers warn is much too late to secure a spot.
They quickly learned their lesson, saying they would try again Saturday, though they would arrive much earlier.
“I don’t have a job yet, so I have nothing going on,” Yarbrough-Saxon said.
Bianca Pasternack, 36, brought her pup Pepper along for the wait. She and pal Andrew Vita, 39, hopped in line before 5 a.m.
“I don’t feel tired, though. I feel excited,” said Vita, who has lined up for Broadway tickets in the past.
“I promised myself I would never do it again, but, you know, I thought with the cast and the reopening of the Delacorte, I was like, this is a good time to line up and get a ticket.”
Pasternack added: “I think it’s a fun New York classic activity.”
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