“Shakespeare at the Ruins” returns to Barboursville Vineyards this July with a month-long showing of “The Comedy of Errors”. The play will be held at the ruins of the home of James Barbour, located a short walk from Barboursville’s tasting room.

One of William Shakespeare’s earliest works, The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins who were accidentally separated at birth but later reunited. The name of the play has since entered the English lexicon to describe “an event or series of events made ridiculous by the number of errors that were made throughout”.

The theater behind this show is Four Country Players, Central Virginia’s longest continuously operating community theater company. Founded in 1973, Four Country Players has performed everything from contemporary musical satires to Dickens classics.

Four Country Players came up with the idea of staging Shakespeare plays outdoors in 1990. Seeing the ruins’ potential as a unique backdrop, they approached Barboursville Vineyards to pitch the idea of a partnership. Barboursville accepted, and the troupe staged A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the winery later that year.

The Barboursville Ruins

The Barbour mansion is perhaps the perfect venue for outdoor events. Located in the heart of the breathtaking Barboursville Vineyards, the stately ruins with its nearby vineyards and high boxwood shrubs hosts everything from opera to weddings.

The mansion’s history adds to its allure. James Barbour served in a number of major offices, including Governor of Virginia, Secretary of War, and Minister to the United Kingdom. His red brick Flemish-bond home was constructed between 1814 and 1822, designed by his neighbor and good friend Thomas Jefferson.

The building’s distinctive eight-sided design was inspired by 16th century Italian architect Andrea Palladio, whose book I quattro libri dell’architettura (The Four Books of Architecture) Jefferson referred to as his ‘bible’. Jefferson used Palladio’s octagon motif in many of his buildings, including his home at Monticello and “The Rotunda” at the University of Virginia.

When Barboursville winemaker Luca Paschina was researching the history of the estate, he came upon the story of how Jefferson believed the octagon shape was a symbol of “perfection and balance”. This description was exactly what Luca strives for, which led his flagship wine to be named “Octagon”.

For decades the mansion was one of the largest in the region, even having its own racetrack. The building was destroyed by fire on Christmas Day, 1884.

Shakespeare Returns to Barboursville

Four Country Players ended its 16-year run in 2006 due to the need to renovate the deteriorating ruins. Fittingly, the final production was All’s Well That Ends Well, directed by Clinton Johnston. Not wanting the tradition of Shakespeare to die, the annual production was moved back to its theater building in 2007.

Looking for a place to host outdoor events during the summer of 2019, Four County’s Production Manager, Gary Warwick White, investigated the possibility of reviving Shakespeare at the Ruins. Gary approached former volunteers who had instrumental roles in the previous iteration and received their support. When asked if they were interested in resuming their collaboration, the winery excitedly agreed.

Later that year, Four Country returned to the ruins with a showing of A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Lydia Underwood Horan. COVID-19 forced a brief halt, but the summer tradition returned in 2022 with a showing of As You Like It directed by John Holdren.

Troupe member Edward Warwick explained in an email how he is excited to showcase Shakespeare’s more humorous side.

“I wasn’t around during the original run of Shakespeare at the Ruins, so having the opportunity to be a part of the return to the Ruins has been so special.

The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare’s funniest works, and I think audiences are really in for a treat and a wild ride!

It is such a unique experience; a wonderful show, a spectacular setting, Virginia wine, fireflies, a symphony of crickets, spectacular sunset…you have to pause and take it all in. It’s a wow moment.”

Ticketing and Showtimes

The Comedy of Errors runs from July 12th – 27th at the historic Barboursville ruins. Shows will be held Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Tickets can be purchased at https://fourcp.org for $25.

Gates open at 6 PM. Shows start at 7:30 PM.

Guests use a separate entrance on Mansion Road that is only open for this event, not the one used for the vineyard/tasting room. The venue holds 400 seats.

The Palladio Restaurant at Barboursville Vineyards will have picnic baskets for sale, and Barboursville wine will be offered by the glass and bottle. The venue will also host both a savory and sweet food truck at each performance.