Anne Hathaway stars in Shakespeare's classic cross-dressing romance

June 7, 9:38 AMNY Bargain Entertainment ExaminerIlia Panganiban

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Hathaway tackles her first Shakespearean role

It's that time of year again! Summer brings a cornucopia of free cultural events to  the city, including the popular Shakespeare in the Park plays, performed in the open-air Delacorte Theater in Central Park. This season is no doubt a hotly-anticipated one, as it kicks off with Twelfth Night, Shakespeare's crowd-pleasing romantic comedy, featuring Anne Hathaway, a bona fide A-list movie star. Twelfth Night's 5-week run will be followed by  5 weeks of Euripides' tragedy The Bacchae.

Hathaway will have plenty to sink her teeth into as she takes on the role of Viola, one of Shakespeare's most plucky, winsome heroines. The play begins  with Viola shipwrecked on a strange island and grieving the loss of her twin brother. She resorts to passing herself off as a pageboy named Cesario and comes under the employ of the duke Orsino (Tony nominee Raul Esparza).  Orsino quickly takes a liking to the "boy" and enlists Cesario's help in his attempt to woo his dream girl, the countess Olivia. When Viola/Cesario, who has fallen in love with Orsino, reluctantly agrees to be the wingman, she manages to charm the unattainable Olivia (four-time Tony winner Audra McDonald), who falls in love with the pageboy! What's a girl-dressed-like-a-boy to do? And what will happen when the not-dead-after-all twin brother shows up?

Anne Hathaway (who incidentally has the same name as Shakespeare's wife) has no previous Shakespeare experience on her resume, but that will be rectified come June 10, when Twelfth Night begins previews. If her recent stellar performances on film are any indication, she will conquer the challenge with aplomb. And although Hathaway, with her full, sensual mouth and curvy figure, might not be the first  person you'd think of as a plausible male impersonator, she's certain to be convincing as a prepossessing young woman who can effortlessly charm both genders.