APRIL 16, 2004 --

Delacorte Heads Up

Previews for "Much Ado About Nothing," the Public Theater's Shakespeare offering at Central Park's Delacorte Theatre begin June 22. Directed by David Esbjornson, the production features Kristen Johnston, Brian Murray, Jimmy Smits, Elisabeth Waterston and Sam Waterston.

The Delacorte is in the middle of the park, reachable on the west side at 81st Street and on the east side at 79th Street. (It has been LPR's experience that, after 7 P.M., curbside parking is easier to find on the east side than on the west side.)

Broadway Show League

LPR was about a mile below the Delacorte at the Hecksher softball fields, April 15 -- THAT 15th -- for the Broadway Show League's first round of preseason games. Alas, LPR saw red flags on the five diamonds, not softball teams. No, it was not the start of The Revolution in Central Park, just signs that the fields are not playable because of wet grounds. Next preseason date is April 22, with games starting at 11:30, followed by games at 1:30 and 3:30 P.M. Accompanying photo shows red flag on field no. 1, looking west towards Central Park. (Fields are reachable from Central Park West at 63rd Street.)

LPR is also including a photo of the Central Park Carousel, mainly for the benefit of delegates to the Republican National Convention and protesters from United for Peace and Justice, but also for all other visitors to the park this spring/summer. The carousel is behind Heckscher field no. 1. Rides cost $1.25. Motorists are advised to try and park at the Tavern on the Green lot, reachable from Central Park West and 67th Street (The advice comes from a motorist who has parked at other venues in the area.)

Thank heavens for Air America

The anti-Bush radio network offers citizens a quick means of identifying their position on the political spectrum. Listeners who turn off after ten minutes or less are probably either hardcore libertarians or rightwing extremists. Listeners who stay tuned are probably either left-flingers-- or moderate Republicans.

Speaking of whom (inspired by Thomas Kean's chairmanship of the 9/11 Commission, which has a much longer official title, but might better be called: The Commission to Get the President):

Q: What's another name for moderate Republican?

A: Democrat.

Also, the programs on the anti-Bush radio network offer media people the chance to display their very liberal colors kept under wraps, to some extent, at places like the Imus radio/MSNBC show. Compare, for example, Newsweek's liberal columnist Jonathan Alter speaking to Imus, and then speaking to Al Franken. What a strain it must be to pull all those left jabs on Imus, left jabs that socked the Franken mike, repeatedly, April 14. Next day, Mr. Franken and Lawrence O'Donnell (a TV talking head) discussed the problem of conflicts of interest, but only (so far as LPR heard -- allowing for its ten minutes or less Air America tolerance-level) with reference to allegations about the conservative Richard Perle, not about Get Bush panel member Jamie Gorelick, who seems to have had something to do, as Clinton deputy attorney general, with regs preventing the free flow of interagency information about suspected terrorists. LPR wonders if O'Donnell's "poor man" demeaning slight of the president, expressed to Franken, is also said to mainmedia hosts.