The well-received Shakespeare in the Park production of The Merchant of Venice is transferring to Broadway in October. The Public Theater announced today that Al Pacino will reprise his role as Shylock for 78 performances only, beginning October 19th at the Broadhurst Theatre and running through January 9th. You can still see it in the park through Sunday, but come fall New Yorkers can legitimately pay hundreds to see Pacino as Shylock, instead of shelling out money to the Craigslist line sitters. Director Daniel Sullivan tells the Times they'll have to make some changes to adjust to the smaller, indoor proscenium stage, but thinks "it’ll be nice for [Pacino] not to have helicopters in this production." more ›

Al Pacino will be reprising the role of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice in Central Park next summer, as part of The Public Theater's annual free Shakespeare series. (Pacino previously played Shylock in the 2004 film of The Merchant of Venice.) Daniel Sullivan (The Homecoming) will direct, while Michael Greif will helm next summer's other Shakespeare production, The Winter's Tale. According to a publicist for The Public, the two plays will be performed in repertory with the same core company of actors, though "due to a scheduling conflict with rehearsals, Pacino will only appear in The Merchant of Venice." Other cast members announced thus far include Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Solanio/Young Shepherd); Jesse L. Martin (Gratiano/Polixenes); Lily Rabe (Portia/First Gentlewoman); Ruben Santiago-Hudson as (Prince of Morocco/Leontes); and Max Wright (Old Gobbo/Old Shepherd). more ›

Everything's coming up Hathaway: The Devil Wears Prada star has put her very-public breakup with jailed Italian financier Raffaello Follieri behind her and emerged as the unlikely toast of New York theater critics, and is even gracing the cover of NY Mag's summer double issue to boot. While she's no stranger to the stage (her performance in Carnival seven years ago was well-received), it's been a while since she's performed live, and many wondered if the 26-year-old could pull off the difficult transition from film to outdoor Shakespeare. Well, the reviews are generally ecstatic, and not just for Hathaway, but for the entire production, lucidly directed by Daniel Sullivan (The Homecoming). Scott Brown at NY Mag writes:

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