Valley Shakespeare Festival’s “All Hallows Eve” fundraiser, held at the Twisted Vine Restaurant in Derby last Thursday (Oct. 24), was a hugely successful event.
Sixty-plus revelers were welcomed to the Halloween-themed dinner theater, arriving attired in all manner and form of costumes from insects to pixies, spies, superheroes, cartoon characters, historical figures, vampires and, of course, witches — it was, after all, a Shakespearean party!
A buffet dinner of chicken marsala, penne a la vodka, salad and garlic bread was generously provided by Mike Picone’s Twisted Vine, followed by coffee and a special Valley Shakespeare Festival cake.
Appetites sated, the guests then settled in for the live entertainment, provided by many members of the cast who performed in the company’s summer production of “The Comedy of Errors.”
Kristen Kingsley of Shelton, Amy Strachan of Monroe and Sarah Ann Masse of Trumbull, playing the three witches, opened with a reading of Act I, Scene I of “MacBeth,” then were joined by the remaining cast members, Shelton native Tom Simonetti, Nick Afka Thomas of Trumbull, and New Yorkers Adam Kezele and Jessica Breda, for a rousing rendition of “Magic To Do” from the Tony award-winning musical Pippin.
Next, Nick and Adam took a serious turn and wowed the crowd with a moving reading of Act III Scene III of “Hamlet,” in which Hamlet comes upon his uncle, the king, in prayer confessing the murder of Hamlet’s father.
Jessica was up next, and lightened the mood with a delightful reading of the tongue-twister “Jabberwocky” from Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass.”
Kristen, Jessica and Sarah then returned with a deeply affecting performance of Act V Scene I of “MacBeth,” in which Lady MacBeth is observed sleepwalking while uttering the famous line, “Out damned spot.” It featured Sarah as the tormented Lady MacBeth, Kristen as the doctor and Jessica as the gentlewoman.
Pictures from the evening are posted in a slideshow below. Article continues after photos.
Shifting gears again, Tom and Amy came on and brought down the house with a spirited performance of the satirical number “A Little Priest” from Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Nick then concluded the evening’s entertainment with a heartening reading of Prospero’s Epilogue of “The Tempest.”
The evening waning, the cast took a moment to confer about to whom to award the grand prize of the costume contest, two tickets to a performance of Westport Country Playhouse’s 2014 Season.
Margaret Watkins was chosen for her original and inventive wardrobe creation, “Steampunk Rock Girl,” a style of clothing, and an artistic style as well, of the late 19th century inspired by works by H.G. Wells, Jules Verne and the industrialization of Western Civilization.
The cast members then drew tickets for the remaining prizes, three $100 gift packages to Valley eating establishments, and awarded them to three more lucky guests.
The evening’s festivities concluded, the company departed, smiling and offering up thanks and compliments to their hosts at the Twisted Vine and Valley Shakespeare Festival, for a distinctly different and fun night of food, entertainment and prizes.
Folks who wish to continue to enjoy and support free theater in the Valley are encouraged to return to the Twisted Vine during the months of November and December, when 10 percent of all food and beverage costs incurred by diners who mention Valley Shakespeare Festival will be donated back to the Company by the restaurant. So, if you’d like to see more free theater in the Valley, support Valley Shakespeare Festival and “Dine at the Vine!”
