Shakespeare in the Park

I'm not one for celebrity. Walking the great cities of the world--London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris--I'm sure I've passed the occasional Big Name but I would never notice. And frankly, when they're pointed out to me I barely find it interesting that people I read about in People while waiting to see my physician actually exist in real life.

But I couldn't help myself feel special last night at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park for the opening night of the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park. It was Hamlet, with Lauren Ambrose as a beautiful and charming (even in the midst of her madness) Ophelia and Sam Waterston as a dottering Polonius complete with senior moments.

Friend Marc got my friends and I into the show and the gala afterwords where the free drinks did flow copiously. In attendance? Alec Baldwin walked past me twice as did Steve Martin. Diane Sawyer, some guy from the show Weeds, and Maria Thayer, who played Jerri Blank's friend Tammi Littlenut on Strangers with Candy.

I loved the show--I really did. But then I go to the theater so rarely my critical faculties regarding what's good and what's so-so are mighty blunt. The New York Times gave it a mixed review tending on the bad side but can you trust a review that doesn't make a big deal of the fact that Tammy Littlenut was in the audience? I can't.

P.S. Tom, try as I might I wasn't able to get close enough to Alec Baldwin to lick his shoulder for you.