Helicopters are ruining Shakespeare in the Park: patrons, pols
Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air.
It’s as if the centuries-old words of William Shakespeare could have predicted the nightly annoyance that occurs as his play is performed in Central Park — helicopters buzzing above the stage.
One week into the performance of the Bard’s “Merry Wives” at the open-air Delacorte Theater, patrons are banding together to stop — or at least divert — the incessant chopper traffic overhead.
“It’s distracting, disruptive. Every time a helicopter is hovering, your eyes switch from the actors on the stage to above you. … It’s alarming,” fumed Upper West Sider Melissa Elstein, who told The Post she counted six low-flying helicopters on opening night at the 1,800-seat venue July 7.
Fellow Upper West Sider Ajit Thomas called the copter clamor a “slap in the face,” especially when the noise drowned out emotional remarks from the stage about finally performing in front of a live audience and thanking essential workers.
Elstein, 55, who belongs to the grassroots organization Stop the Chop NY/NJ, said it was especially disconcerting as New Yorkers are again gathering en masse.
“Our parks are supposed to be a place for nature, for respite, for relaxation and rejuvenation. … For me, it ruined the enjoyment. I can feel my anxiety level increase and I get angry at the injustice that has been going on for several years,” she said.
“It’s a big milestone to have Shakespeare In the Park reopen and it should be celebratory, joyful and we shouldn’t feel we are sitting ducks for tourists looking down at us to take pictures. … We don’t believe [non-essential] helicopters should be allowed to fly over parks.”
For years, Rep. Jerrold Nadler and officials from the Public Theater have pleaded with the Federal Aviation Administration to divert helicopter traffic from Central Park and turn down the volume.
Nadler has even legislated to exile tourist choppers entirely from Manhattan.
An FAA spokeswoman suggested the tempest was much do about nothing, noting the agency “does not comment on pending legislation” and “has not received any recent formal inquiries regarding helicopters (sic) operations over the Shakespeare in the Park performances.”
In 2018, The Post reported similar chopper traffic marring the staging of “Twelfth Night” and that the issue has been a midsummer’s nightmare for the Public Theater since at least 2014.
“Any suggestion from the FAA that they have not received complaints about helicopter operations interfering with Shakespeare in the Park — or other outdoor activities in our city — is nothing more than a fallacy,” Nadler told The Post.
“Having worked alongside the Public Theater, and knowing firsthand the extensive complaints about helicopter flights they have made, I can refute the FAA’s baseless claim myself. Perhaps the noise produced by low-flying helicopters has interfered with the FAA’s capacity to hear and recognize the frustration felt by countless New Yorkers.”
