Theater challenges audiences by blending the real and the imaginary, much like a neighbor who accuses you of giving her goiters with your brain. Enhance reality with this GrouponLive deal to see The Walking Statue at Colonial Williamsburg's Kimball Theatre. Performances take place every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. through August 23. Choose between the following options:
- For $4, you get one ticket for general admission, valid for ages 5 and younger (a $9 value).
- For $9, you get one ticket for general admission, valid for ages 6 and older (an $18 value).
Changing faces, moving monuments, and other clever tricks abound in Aaron Hill's The Walking Statue, or The Devil in the Wine Cellar, a mischievous, sometimes bawdy farce originally staged in 1710. Young gentleman Sprightly loves only the beautiful Leonora, but her stodgy blunderbuss-happy father Sir Tough casts a harrumph of dismissal on his would-be in-law's meager inheritance. With the help of his disguise-happy servant Toby and Corporal Cuttum, a woebegone officer confident in his ability to stand still for hours, Sprightly enacts a daring plan to win a hearty nod of approval from the aging knight instead.
Built in 1933, Kimball Theatre existed solely as a movie theater for much of its history, though the players of the College of William and Mary lobbied for a dramatic stage from the outset. It was only after undergoing a vast renovation beginning in 2000 that the theater attained this goal, and today it supplements its screenings of new and classic films with concerts, era-appropriate plays, and Patrick Henry impersonators rebuking the offer of liberty or tacos. Tucked within Colonial Williamsburg's Merchant Square, the theater becomes a piece of a larger whole that opens up time to conjure the capital city of the 18th century. Residents in full costume walk amid shops full of weavers, wheel-makers, and carpenters, forming an afterimage of a bygone era, at once nostalgic and brimming with in-the-moment fun.
Please note that this authentic 18th-century play can be enjoyed by the entire family, but it is presented unedited and occasionally may use strong language.
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg's 300 acres of taverns, tradeshops, homes, and community buildings stand preserved as if it were the 1770s, at the turbulent moment when Virginia colonists were debating independence from Britain. As visitors stroll the sun-dappled streets, they immerse themselves in the daily life of the town's citizens—shopkeepers, artisans, politicians, and enslaved servants who dream of freedom, but fear the chaos of war. Political discussions and protest demonstrations give guests the chance to leap into the revolutionary spirit themselves. Or, they can browse the town's 22 historic trade shops, where nearly 80 masters, journeymen, and apprentices practice pre-industrial trades from blacksmithing to leatherworking.
A duet of museums give historical context to the town's vibrant life. Housed under one roof, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum let guests admire three centuries' worth of rustic ornamental woodwork or learn how a portrait of George Washington saved a family farm. Alternatively, for a taste of the 20th century, they can stroll across the landscaped grounds of Basset Hall, the former residence of John D. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Jr.