The Carriage House Players (formerly Arena Players Repertory Theater) will open the 29th annual Summer Shakespeare Festival at the Vanderbilt with Macbeth on Wednesday, July 5, at 8:00 p.m. Performances will take place outdoors on the Vanderbilt Mansion courtyard stage, where the Spanish-Mediterranean architecture adds a touch of timeless charm and magic.
Carriage House Players photo
The festival features two plays each summer. After Macbeth’s run in July, the company will present Much Ado About Nothing during the second half of the season.
Admission: $15 per person. To purchase tickets, call 516-557-1207. Details: www.carriagehouseplayers.org. Theater-goers are encouraged to bring a picnic and enjoy dinner before the show.
Performances of Macbeth are every Wednesday and Friday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. through Sunday, July 30.
Much Ado About Nothing will open on Friday, August 4, at 8:00 p.m. and run every Wednesday and Friday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. through Sunday, August 27, except Sunday, August 13 there is no show.
In the tragedy Macbeth, the Scottish general receives a prophecy from three witches that he will become King of Scotland. Spurred on by his wife, the ambitious Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself and then becomes tortured by guilt and paranoia.
In the comedy Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick and Beatrice are tricked through gossip into confessing their love for each other. Claudio is tricked into wrongly believing that Hero has been unfaithful to him, and he leaves her at the altar. Benedick and Beatrice work to resolve the misunderstandings, and the story ends with the celebration of both couples’ marriages.
