Summer theatre to enjoy out of doors, 
“Twelfth Night”
By Bonnie Goldberg

The Summer Theatre of New Canaan has a new home in Irwin Park with a unique, open-air outdoor theatre venue, with 250 seats, protected from sunshine and light rain, from which it will perform Shakespeare and special children’s programs.

This summer, Wednesdays to Sundays at 7:30 p.m. until July 12, its “Twelfth Night,” with an abridged version especially for kids Saturdays at 2 p.m., also through July 12. Tickets for “Twelfth Night” for children are adults $20 and children $15.

The Bard may never have visited Hawaii or envisioned his comedy set in the 1920s, but the imaginative folks at Summer Theatre of New Canaan have done all the work for him. Come early and picnic and then sit back under the starlight and enjoy a visit with Viola, Olivia, Orsino, Sebastian, Sir Toby Belch, the fool Feste, Malvolio and all
the characters who populate this comedy of errors.

Wonderful music has been added to the magical festivities, as mistaken identities and merry confusion abound. Viola dresses as a man, Olivia falls in love with “her” disguised as a “him,” while Viola hankers for Duke Orsino, who believes he loves Olivia. Servants and their masters are mistaken for each other while an evil-minded Malvolio tries to cause mischief.

As with all Shakespeare’s comedies, all is well by play’s end and happily ever after, for everyone save Malvolio, reigns supreme.
For tickets (adults $40, senior and student $35), call Summer Theatre of New Canaan at (203) 966-4634 or online at stonc.org. The theatre is at 848 Weed St., New Canaan, in Irwin Park.

Also on the agenda is a new show for kids, “Six Impossible Things,” with delightful encounters with three storybook heroines: Dorothy from Oz, Wendy from Neverland and Alice from Wonderland. With songs and an emphasis on fun, children will feel empowered to interact with the cast. Perfect for children 4 to 11, running about 50
minutes, the show creates an intelligent entertainment for a young audience. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. For tickets ($13 child, $20 adult), call (203) 966-4634 or see stonc.org.