Shake up Shakespeare

Saheem Ali's bilingual reimagining for The Public is the first Romeo & Juliet in Central Park in nearly twenty years. The Montagues and Capulets argue, brawl, and grieve in English; Romeo and Juliet speak Spanish to each other, a private language reserved for their shared world. Free tickets via the daily digital lottery this summer, exclusively on TodayTix.

This sharp reimagining ditches the traditional museum-piece approach for a witty, fearlessly contemporary energy. Starring Life of Pi’s Hiran Abeysekera, this production transforms Shakespeare’s darkest tragedy into a fast-paced, darkly funny, and modern experience at BAM.

The world’s greatest love story gets a riotous makeover in this hidden library speakeasy where one professional actor downs five shots before the curtain rises. Watch as a sober cast tries to keep the star-crossed tragedy on track amidst whiskey-fueled mayhem and unpredictable improvised twists.

This nine-time Tony nominee flips the script on the world's most famous tragedy by asking: what if Juliet didn't die? Set to a high-octane soundtrack of Max Martin pop hits, this neon-soaked explosion of music and meta-theater rewrites Shakespeare's ending into a hilarious and empowering journey of self-discovery.

It’s an open secret that this Pride Lands epic is actually a masterclass in reimagining Hamlet, trading the gloomy castles of Denmark for a vibrant, sprawling savanna. By leaning into the "heir to the throne" tragedy through stunning puppetry and a lush score, the show makes the high-stakes drama of Shakespeare feel entirely approachable and visually breathtaking for a modern audience.

This riotous reinvention tosses out the rulebook by tasking one professional actor with five shots of whiskey before attempting a masterpiece. Surrounded by library stacks and craft cocktails, it’s a high-stakes, improvisational whirlwind where no two performances are ever the same.

Three rarely-staged Shakespeare histories compressed into two evenings of rep at The Public, turning the sprawling War of the Roses saga — the funeral of Henry V, decades of foreign war, full-blown civil collapse into something you can actually watch in a single weekend. Part 1 and Part 2 play on different nights, so check the calendar before you book.