By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Al Pacino will be moving to Broadway to reprise his acclaimed take on Shakespeare's Shylock in the "Merchant of Venice” this fall.
The Public Theater made the announcement Monday, after eight successful weeks of performances at "Shakespeare in the Park" at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater, the Daily News reported.
Directed by Daniel Sullivan, the play will open Oct. 19 at the Broadhurst Theatre, and will run through Jan. 19. The Public Theater will produce the play.
Sullivan said that Pacino’s agreement to take the Broadway role was an essential part of the decision to move the play from its outdoor venue to the great white way. The "Merchant of Venice" shares the stage in repertory with "The Winter's Tale."
“The fact that it’s done in rep but he’s only in one show, he doesn’t get a good run at it every week,” Sullivan told the New York Times. “I think this will afford him the opportunity to start working on it, and to work on it in a more intimate surrounding. Also, it’ll be nice for him not to have helicopters in this production.”
This will be Pacino’s first Broadway appearance since 2003, when he acted in Oscar Wilde’s “Salome.” His role as King Herod received scornful reviews.
