Every year since 1962 when George C. Scott and James Earl Jones starred in The Merchant of Venice at the newly constructed Delacorte Theater, free Shakespeare stagings in Central Park have been one of the great democratic cultural pleasures of summer in New York City.
But for the first time this year, The Public Theater has been forced to cancel its season. The Public confirmed today that given ongoing restrictions stemming from the novel coronavirus shutdown, its planned upcoming Shakespeare in the Park productions of Richard II and As You Like It would not be moving forward.