Arts & Entertainment
Shakespeare at Rye Town Park - Much Ado About Nothing
William Shakespeare’s comedy “Much Ado About Nothing” is coming to Rye Town Park. The performance will be held on the Park’s lawn, by the small pavilion near the lifeguard station.
This is a special outdoor venue adaptation produced by Carin and Peter Green and the Lawn Chair Theater Company. Performing the play amidst the park’s trees and rolling lawn is in keeping with the spirit of Shakespeare’s famous line: “All the world’s a stage.”
“Much Ado” is a comedy about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero. The former are both very glib and proclaim their scorn for love, marriage, and each other. In contrast, the latter are sweet young people who are rendered practically speechless by their love for one another. Benedick and Beatrice are tricked into confessing their love for each other, and Claudio is tricked into rejecting Hero at the altar. However, Dogberry, a Constable who is a master of malapropisms, discovers the evil trickery of the villain. In the end, he runs away and everyone else joins in a dance celebrating the marriages of the two couples.
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As an added “plot twist,” the show’s producers are inviting “hopelessly married couples” to join during intermission in a wedding vow renewal ceremony officiated by Rye Town Supervisor Joe Carvin. For more information about the ceremony or the show, go to the web site: www.lawnchairtheatre.org
The director of the production is Peter Green, and original music has been composed by Josh Carriero. The setting is “Shakespeare meets Downton Abbey, 1917.”
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Admission is free, but contributions are welcome. People living near the park are encouraged to walk or bike. The fee for theater parking after 5 pm is $5.00 for people without season permits. Parking is free for Park season permit holders.
Audience members should bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. Picnicking is welcome. Light refreshments will be available for purchase. There is no reserved seating. The rain date is Sunday, Aug. 5th at 5:45 p.m. Rye Town Park is located at the east end of Dearborn Avenue in the City of Rye, NY 10580.
Partial support for this performance comes from the Port Chester Council for the Arts, the Port Chester Dept of Recreation, and the Rye Town Park Commission.
