The Last Romance at Vanderbilt Museum Carriage House Theatre

By Patrick Keeffe

The Arena Players Repertory Theatre will present the Long Island premiere of Joe DiPietro’s The Last Romance from January 25 through February 17 at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum’s Carriage House Theatre.

 A crush can make anyone feel young again, even a widower named Ralph. On an ordinary day in a routine life, Ralph decides to take a different path on his early walk, one that leads him to an unexpected second chance at love.

Relying on a renewed boyish charm, Ralph attempts to woo the elegant but distant Carol. Defying Carol’s wishes and his lonely sister’s jealousy, Ralph embarks on the trip of a lifetime and regains a happiness that seemed all but lost. This heart-warming comedy explores the transformative power of love.

 Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 on Friday and Sunday, and $25 on Saturday. For reservations or more information, call 516-293-0674. Or visit www.ArenaPlayers.org.

The theatre is located at the Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport, NY, and is fully accessible to the handicapped. Arena Players Repertory Theatre is a non-profit company funded in part by the New York State Council on the Arts, the Suffolk County Office of Cultural Affairs, and individual contributions.

Photo above by Frederic De Feis: Cast of The Last Romance, from left, Bobbie Ruth, Bob Kaplan and Stacey Wallace.

MUSEUM INFORMATION Winter Hours Through April 15: The museum is open Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays: 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. The museum is closed Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

General museum admission is $7 for adults, $6 for students with ID and seniors (62 and older), and $3 for children 12 and under. General admission includes estate-grounds access to marine museum, Memorial Wing natural-history and ethnographic-artifact galleries, Nursery Wing, Egyptian mummy and Stoll Wing animal-habitat dioramas.

For a mansion tour, add $5 per ticket.