The erosion by stealth and wealth of Shakespeare in the Park's great ideal

guardian.co.uk: Oppressive, overcrowded New York is not much fun in the summer, but among theater-goers one institution makes the sweltering months worth waiting for. Shakespeare in the Park begins its 50th season this week, and in the past half-century the festival, managed by the Public Theater, has matured from an improbable experiment into a city birthright. Audiences are still filling the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, sited perfectly amid the tress and the water.