It's outdoors, it's free, it's a grand New York tradition.  Every summer the Public Theater presents a pair of the bard's plays under the stars.  The difference this year is that they will be in rotating repertory.  For eight weeks, it will be The Merchant of Venice (directed by Daniel Sullivan) for two nights, followed by The Winter's Tale (directed by Michael Grief) for two nights, and so on.  The casting coup is that Al Pacino is playing Shylock in Merchant; with most of the other actors playing roles in both, like Hamish Linklater, a TV regular (he plays Matthew, Julia Dreyfus' brother on The New Adventures of Old Christine).  I spoke with the charming Linklater, who has a dry, self-deprecating sense of humor.
 
Hi Hamish.  In Merchant of Venice, you play Bassanio, the merchant Antonio's friend, whom you ask for a loan so you can woo Portia, and that leads to Antonio going to Shylock in the first place.
Yes, Bassanio is Portia's boyfriend and he gets the whole ball rolling, by that loan from Shylock, and that turns into the pound of flesh problem.  He's a little bit of a playboy, a player, and he gets everybody into trouble.
 
How is it for you, playing this kind of character?
For me it's great.  It's all about surviving.  It's all about being in the room with Al Pacino, and being not so embarrassed about your acting, and wanting to crawl into a tiny little hole and tear up your acting card and quit the business forever.
 
What do you get to do with Al Pacino?
I have two scenes with him.  That's enough to question even my choice to go into this profession.  But he's an incredibly generous actor, and to be on stage with him is so inspiring because he's always experimenting.  It's always the process.  It reminds you not to be perfect every time, because when you try to be perfect you're going to be stale.
 
What else would you like to say about playing Portia's choice?
It's so nice to play a romantic character.  The entire casting department at the Public Theater will be out on the streets, fired.
 
Tell me about the role of Autolycus that you play in The Winter's Tale.  I've seen pictures that make him appear as something like a wandering peddler, carrying a wooden tray filled with ribbons and other paraphernalia.
I just went for the fitting. The costume they have me wearing is hardly any clothing at all.  He's the rogue, the pickpocket; he runs a little prostitution ring too, maybe.
 
What do you wear then?
I'm wearing thermal underwear and combat boots.
 
What's it like to do two different shows in rotating repertory?
I've done repertory a couple times before.  It's such a terrific workout. Shakespeare wrote these plays for a rep company.  This is how they are supposed to be done.  You really get the opportunity to stretch yourself like this.  It's heaven.  I would have walked all the way from Los Angeles to do this.  I feel really lucky.
 
Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Ticket info and schedule at publictheater.org. June  9-Aug. 1.

Photo of Linklater rehearsing The Merchant of Venice by Nella Vera.