Laurie Cantillo: A Night at the Theatre With Soft Drinks and Skittles

If you've yet to experience the Summer Theatre of New Canaan, you're missing one of the crown jewels of our little town.

Now in its seventh season, STONC offers regular performances in an intimate, woodsy setting at Waveny Park that proves you don't have to make the long trek to the big city for quality entertainment.

Now playing is "Big River: the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," which is a slickly produced, Tony Award-winning musical adapted from one of our country's most treasured novels.  It's entertaining for all ages. My 10-year-old was transfixed by the story of Huck and his runaway slave friend Jim, who embark on a wild river adventure to freedom.

The story is filled with moments of drama, humor and sorrow.  It's beautifully choreographed and set with our adventurers on a small wooden raft—that moves on stage—along the mighty Mississippi River, with mountains as the backdrop.

Not only is the acting first-rate, but we're also treated to powerful singing performances and a small, live ensemble that includes Tom Sawyer (Edmund Bagnell) on fiddle and the haunting, lonely strains of a harmonica from Huck (Christian Libonati).

In June, I also had the pleasure of seeing STONC's production of H4 (Henry IV), a modern version of Shakespeare.  The graffiti-riddled set showcased characters dressed not in traditional Shakespearean garb, but like the cast of Men in Black, toting guns along with swords and sending e-mails.  While a much more contemporary and abstract production than Big River, H4 also delivered an evening of suspense and intrigue.

Other shows on the 2010 summer schedule included Seussical and Shakespeare for Kids.

The Summer Theatre of New Canaan is performed under a white, cedar-fragranced air-tent theatre between NCHS and the Waveny Castle.  Funding is primarily provided by grants, private donations, and corporate sponsorships, with ticket sales covering less than half of production costs.

The seating is informal, with folding chairs, lawn seating and even picnic tables. Performances are held rain or shine.   Limited concessions are offered—basically soft drinks and Skittles, to my son's delight—but you can bring a picnic basket and a bottle of wine to make an evening of it.  I advise bringing mosquito repellant as well, as the sneaky gate crashers did make an appearance after dusk.

"Big River" runs Wednesday through Sunday at 7:45 p.m. until August 1.  Tickets range from $25 to $50 and can be purchased online or at the door.  Access to the venue is from Farm Road, just south of the NCHS athletic complex, where there is plenty of free parking.

For tickets and more information, visit www.stonc.org.