The Comedy of Errors

One more NYC Bucket List item checked off the list: Shakespeare in the Park.

I’ve lived next door to NYC for nearly a decade now and I’ve realized there are many things I have yet to do and see. I’ve never really sat down and written an NYC Bucket List, but I have kept a mental checklist in my head, and one of the things that’s always been on the list is going to see Shakespeare in the Park.

I decided this year was the year for me to get serious about it. When I found out the first play being performed was The Comedy of Errors and that Jesse Tyler Ferguson was in it, I knew that this was my summer. For as long as I can remember I've always made reference to this play when it fit the situation and over time it just became one of my go-to phrases. Having Mitchell from Modern Family in it was just the cherry on top.

The billboard outside the Delacorte Theater

So I went to the site, created an account, watched the weather and at midnight on Friday, June 14, I submitted my request for two virtual tickets. Since all tickets for Shakespeare in the Park are free, you can either stand in line and get tickets at the box office the day of the show, or you can submit a request online and pray the computer randomly selects you. The catch is that you don’t find out until noon on the day of the show, so you have to scramble to see if anyone’s available to go with you, and you need to pick the tickets up by 7:30 or they get released to the general public.

Thankfully, luck was on my side that day. When I returned from a meeting, I checked my email and there was my congratulatory message telling me I had two tickets for that evening. Even better, I had a friend who wanted to go. I was all set to leave early that day so I could drive into the city, park and enjoy a leisurely dinner in the park. Unfortunately, a last-minute work emergency kept me from leaving when I wanted to and I found myself on the New Jersey turnpike at 6:30pm on a Friday. I could feel those tickets slipping away.

My ticket and Playbill

Apparently, my luck hadn't run out after all because I was able to get to my destination in record time, even with the little bit of traffic I encountered on the West Side Highway. The random street I turned on even had parking available near the park, making it possible for me to get the tickets with 10 minutes left to spare. Yes, I was meant to be at this show.

I finally found the castle in the park

As my friend and I made our way to our seats, it became very clear to me that we were going to have a pretty awesome view of this play. While we weaved through the crowd to get to fifth row, center, we spotted a familiar face in the row behind ours. The familiar face was Blythe Danner. We both got a little giddy because we both think she’s pretty great.

Dancers on the stage before the play started

The play was pretty great, too. The performances were amazing and spot on. The comedic timing was absolutely perfect. I was laughing hard throughout the whole thing, my friend and I nudging each other every time something hilarious happened. It was such I good time.

As we walked back to my car, I couldn’t help thinking how this was a quintessential New York experience—watching Shakespeare in Central Park, a celebrity siting and a perfect summer night that didn’t even need a light sweater. It’s experiences like this that make me love this city so much. I know when the day comes for me to leave, I will miss these moments, but I’m lucky to have created so many memories that I can carry with me wherever I go.