THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON
by JASON MILLER
A vital and effective theater group is more than a random assembly of actors, directors, designers, composers and a producer. To succeed, it must be the closest of families, bound by a common purpose and a consistent vision. This is the basic strength of Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theater. Prolific in quantity and distinguished in quality, the Public Theater's productions are linked by one theme: a running critique of U.S. life today.
Like a Socratic questioner, Papp wants to know what has happened to the American dream. What are the prevailing values, hopes and...