If it’s true you haven’t made it until The Simpsons parodies you, then The Public Theater’s iconic Shakespeare in the Park series finally hit it big on Sunday, September 30, during the long-running animated series’ season premiere.
In an episode that transplanted the Springfield, Non-Specific State family to New York City, blue haired mother Marge and smartypants daughter Lisa sought out budget “culture” to validate their urban trip. Which inevitably led them to Shakespeare in the Park, the summertime series theater non-animated geeks wait for all year.
You have to give the Simpsons team credit for nailing Shakespeare in the Park and the Delacorte Theater, from the mile long line to the trees that tower above set pieces onstage. We kept waiting for a giant to creep over the set Into the Woods-style. All that was missing were the raccoons.
The production featured was a fictional Romeo and Juliet, starring the (oh, Oskar Eustis, please make this happen!) Baldwin family as The Capulets and the Sheen/Estevez family as The Montagues. Unable to get along long enough to deliver the first line of the play, the warring cast storms off, leaving Marge and Lisa to “save” the show by dragging a scabber team of audience members onstage to read the play.
The Public Theater admits they had no idea their Central Park darling would appear on the show, but one has to assume they’ll be pretty amped when the episode queues up on Hulu.
After all, who wouldnt want to be inducted into the pop culture Hall of Fame?