Lupita Nyong’o is returning to the stage in August in a production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night as part of the Free Shakespeare in the Park series at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, New York. The Academy winner will perform alongside her brother Junior Nyong’o, marking the first time the siblings share the stage. They join an impressive cast that includes Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family). The 90-minute production, directed by two-time Tony Awards nominated Kenyan born theatre director Saheem Ali, runs from 7 August to 14 September. This will be the first show at the Delacorte following its closing for two years for renovations.
One of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, Twelfth Night follows the misadventures of twins Viola and Sebastian after a shipwreck separates them. Believing her brother to be dead, Viola disguises herself as a man named Cesario and enters the service of Duke Orsino. What follows is a whirlwind of mistaken identities, unrequited love, and comic intrigue as revenge plots unravel and hearts are tangled in disguise. In a recent post on Instagram, Lupita teased the production as “the love triangle of the summer” while sharing a Vanity Fair shoot photo featuring Sandra Oh and Junior.
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Lupita made her Broadway debut in Eclipsed (2016) which earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress after starring in the same play off Broadway in 2015. She also played Juliet in Shakespeare’s off Broadway radio play Romeo and Juliet, titled as Romeo y Julieta in 2021, also directed by Ali. Beyond the stage, Lupita’s upcoming projects also include Christopher Nolan’s epic fantasy The Odyssey where she plays Clytemnestra is the wife of Agamemnon and queen of Mycenae. Currently in production and set for release in 2026, The Odyssey follows Matt Damon as the legendary Greek king Odysseus, chronicling his long and perilous journey home to reunite with his wife after the Trojan War. There’s also the espionage film Lunik Heist from director Kemp Powers and UFC film Strawweight.
Twelfth Night is perhaps Junior’s biggest role since he came into the limelight in 2014. Then a freshman at Stetson University majoring in Theatre Arts, the younger Nyong’o was introduced to the whole world when his sister, having just won an Oscar for her role in 12 Years a Slave, took a selfie with other famous Hollywood stars like Meryl Streep, Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt and Ellen Degeneres.
Previously, Junior has appeared in theatre productions such as Hamlet, Taming of the Shrew and King Lear, all Shakespeare. In 2023, he also also did a stage reading of Shakespeare’s Richard III, with Hollywood legends Al Pacino and Keith David. That same year, Junior voiced the titular character in Showmax’s first Original 2D animation Twende.
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