What's shaking

'Sigh no more ladies, sigh no more!" The Northeast Shakespeare Ensemble is staging Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" for two weekends starting with a performance to benefit the Montshire Museum of Science tomorrow night. Beatrice (played by Dee Nelson, above) is the main draw here - a feisty woman who refuses to marry until she finds a partner who is her equal . So go ahead and see the "Sex and the City" movie, but remember that Shakespeare invented the romantic comedy long before Mr. Big was a twinkle in Carrie's eye. Pack up your road trippin' cars and pay homage! Thu-Sat, 8 p.m.; Sun and Wed, 2 p.m. $28; $12, students; $23, groups of eight or more. Lebanon Opera House, 51 North Park St., Lebanon, N.H.; 122 miles from Boston. 603-448-0400. lebanonoperahouse.org

Blistered Fingers bluegrass festival In New England, fun in the sun means bluegrass festival season, and the Blistered Fingers festival in Sidney, Maine, is worth packing the car for. Uprights, guitars, mandolins, fiddles, and banjos galore come together in the happiest of summer sounds. This year's lineup includes two Friday performances by Michael Cleveland, a Grammy Award-winning bluegrass fiddler who has been named the International Bluegrass Music Association's fiddler of the year five times since 2001. Music starts: Thur, 5 p.m.; Fri, noon; Sat, 10:30 a.m.; Sun, 9 a.m. $60 weekend pass (includes camping); free for children 12 and under. Silver Spur Riding Club, 3130 West River Road, Sidney, Maine; 169 miles from Boston. 207-873-6539. blisteredfingers.com

Wesley Bell Ringers at Cathedral of the Pines The Wesley Bell Ringers from the Christ United Methodist Church in Salt Lake City play secular and sacred music on nearly 200 handbells. During the free concert this Saturday, the group will play selections from Copland and Gershwin at the Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge, N.H. The Cathedral of the Pines is an outdoor sanctuary situated on 200 acres of fine forests and gardens that rise to a summit overlooking nearby Mount Monadnock. Please wear footwear and clothing appropriate to the weather. 5:30 p.m. Free, but donations are appreciated. Cathedral of the Pines, 10 Hale Hill Road, Rindge, N.H.; 74 miles from Boston. 603-899-3300. cathedralofthe pines.org

Helen Sturges Nadler exhibit "Watercolor allows me to evoke the luminous quality of earth, water, and sky in my paintings," said artist Helen Sturges Nadler. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History and the University of New Mexico Art Museum. An exhibit of her work will be on display at Gallery 4 in Tiverton Four Corners through July 7. Opening reception with the artist this Saturday. Reception: Sat, 3-6 p.m.; Hours Mon-Sat, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Gallery 4, 3848 Main Road, Tiverton Four Corners, R.I. ; 68 miles from Boston. 401-816-0999.

"Candida" The Main Stage of the Berkshire Theatre Festival opens its 80th season with a revival of George Bernard Shaw's 1894 comedy, "Candida." The play may be more than a century old, but the poet-coming-between-a-woman-and-another-man theme is oh so contemporary. Wed-Sat and Mon-Tue, 8 p.m. Thu and Sat, 2 p.m. $46-$80. Berkshire Theatre Festival, Main Stage, Main Street, Stockbridge; 130 miles from Boston. 413-298-5576. berkshiretheatre.org

E-mail your suggestions for Road Trips to celcik @comcast.net.