Not many modern stars find their names in a Shakespeare play. It’s usually Henry the fourth and Richard the third. But last night Broadway and film star Bill Irwin got a surprise when he heard not only his name but a shout out during the opening night performance of “Measure for Measure” at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. During a monologue in the second act of this terrific production, actor Carson Elrod–playing the clown, Pompey–strolled through the audience tossing out names of people he supposedly recognized. When he spotted Irwin–famous for his work in “Fool Moon” and dramatic work in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”– Elrod exclaimed, “Bill Irwin! The world’s greatest living clown!” Irwin was shocked since he doesn’t know Elrod.
“Measure for Measure” only plays for the month of July. It also features brilliant work by John Cullum (“Northern Exposure”), Reg Rogers (“The Royal Family”), Lorenzo Pisano, Dakin Matthews, and Danai Gurira, as well as two fine actresses who cut their teeth on soaps–are you listening, networks?–Tonya Pinkins (“All My Children”) and Annie Parrisse (“As the World Turns”)…”Measure for Measure,” by the way, is pretty modern for a play written in 1604. It’s all about sex–lots of non-marital relations occur–and the main antagonist, Angelo (beautifully done by Michael Hayden)– is sort of a Shakespearean version of our currently accused Dominique Strauss Kahn…
