Island Shakespeare Performance of Much Ado About Nothing At Eastwood Amphitheater This weekend is your last chance to see local resident theater company Island Shakespeare”s outdoor production of Much Ado About Nothing at the Eastwood/Roosevelt Landings Amphitheater. I saw a Sunday matinee performance and can highly recommend it as an experience not to be missed. It begins with Roosevelt Island resident and the production’s director Thomas Kee welcoming visitors to 1861 Messina Italy explaining what you will see.

Island Shakespeare describes the production as:

… an immersive celebration of Shakespeares Much Ado.

You enter a raucous celebration of Italian Unification (circa 1861), invited to drink and dance with the red-shirted soldiers of Garibaldis Expedition of 1000. Revelers can follow the story, follow a character, or follow their own desire to explore the piazza…

It certainly was that and more. A Yelp reviewer from Astoria who saw the show adds:

… For $15, you’re taken to Messina, Italy where you’ll meet a pair of lovers, Claudio & Hero (lovesick couple) and Benedick & Beatrice (bickering pair who are too proud to admit their love for each other). Like “Sleep No More” this is an interactive play where the actors go around the ampitheater, so the play takes place on the stage, in the seats with the audience, out on the lawns, and anywhere else there was open space. Although you could spend your time following the main play by following the speaking actors, there was plenty of action to watch with the minor characters. Indeed, I spent some amusing minutes watching Dogberry, the drunk constable, wrestle and roll around the grass with knaves who lied about Hero’s virtue….

Here are some scenes. Marching soldiers, stirring songs, flag unfurling,

joyful dancing ,

swashbuckling sword fighting,

eating and drinking,

woman with knives strapped to their side,

quiet romantic dalliances

confessions with clergy,

plus much more.

I highly recommend the production. Give it a try and you will have a good time.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors, students and children.

Performances are:

Friday June 29th 7:30 PM
Saturday June 30th 2:00PM and 7:30 PM
Sunday July 1st 2:00 PM

Hope to see more productions from Island Shakespeare in the future.