Overview
- Opening night on Aug. 11 brought the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of The Winter’s Tale to the renovated Delacorte, with the run reported through Aug. 23.
- Reviewers singled out Raúl Esparza’s volatile Leontes and Lily Rabe’s vivid Hermione as the performances that anchor the production and make its emotional swings feel grounded.
- Critics credited the creative team—scenic design by Maruti Evans, costumes by Linda Cho, and music by Tom Kitt—for giving visual and musical through‑lines that help the play move from tragedy to pastoral scenes.
- Rehearsals in July were disrupted by severe New York City air‑quality alerts, which the cast said forced delays and altered preparation for the outdoor, free‑admission run.
- Rabe framed her casting as a homecoming to the Delacorte after its $85 million renovation and will move to a Broadway revival after the park run, a shift that highlights how Free Shakespeare sits inside New York’s summer‑to‑fall theatre cycle.