Comprised of 23 actors, “Twelfth Night” tells the story of a love gone awry in a Western town: the “mining mogul” Orsino (Robert Svetlik) is in love with the Countess Olivia (Rachel Schimenti) who does not return his affections. Meanwhile, a ship crashes off the coast and a set of twins, Viola (Hallie Wage) and Sebastian (Kevin Alonso), are separated, thinking one another have perished amid the ruthless waters of the sea. Viola makes her appearance in the town of Illyria (while disguised as the boy Cesario) and begins to work for Orsino as his page and messenger, slowly falling in love with him. Suddenly, trouble arises when Olivia falls in love with Cesario (still Viola), and maintains her unwavering rejections toward Orsino. A comedic subplot then unfolds as Olivia’s cousin, the mischievous Toby (Nate Beaver), and his pals conjure up a plot to make Malvolio (Kraig Kelsey), the family’s “lawyer,” into a fool; they forge a fake letter which makes Malvolio believe that Olivia is in love with him. All the while, Sebastian, and his pirate friend, Antonio (Harrison Grant), make their way toward the town unbeknownst to Viola and the rest of the residents. Confusion ensues when the residents think Sebastian is Viola (as Cesario) and that Viola is Sebastian.
The show is all around silly, and its attempts at physical humor only overshadow the beauty of the text. A play is first and foremost a piece of text, and the subtle puns and witty humor of Shakespeare’s words are sometimes missed because of a rushed line or a push for slapstick comedy. The casting of some characters seems awkward due to the age of the actor and the age of the character. Sir Toby’s description in the program tells of his heroic days in the cavalry, yet he appears as young as Viola and as spry as a high school freshman; his lady-love, Maria (Linda Farmer), looks as though she may as old as forty, judging by her deeper voice and modest clothing. The pair is fit nicely in the text, but is not comfortably demonstrated onstage.
The cast overall has a very good understanding of the language, and deliveries are predominantly loud and clear, especially by Farmer’s Maria. Wage’s Viola/Cesario is well played, and produces a very convincing male Cesario against her previously exhibited feminine Viola. Feste (Ian Kramer) is a particular joy to watch and, if the rest of the wit in the show is skipped over, he makes every stop along the way in his own dialogue to pick it up. However, the best segments by far are where Kelsey’s Malvolio appears. Haughty, stiff, and increasingly brilliant, Kelsey’s character provides a much needed dose of schadenfreude for the audience. While he is shamefully snubbed at the end, the endearing endeavors he makes to win Olivia’s love warm even the coldest hearts.
Be Boyd’s direction comes into question at times. His concept of racial struggles is clever, but lacks significance as it draws attention away from the central plot and adds another scenario to the already busy story. Trouble rises especially during scenes that are not in the original script: bar brawls, catfights between two of the saloon girls, and songs which did not appear at the time Shakespeare was composing his play (such as “Home on the Range” and “Back in the Saddle Again”). These scenes would have been completely fine if modern dialogue had not been added in for effect. It seems to force an idea that is not there and should not be in the first place. There are a painful amount of “Howdy”s, “Right, y’all?”s, and “What in tarnation?!”s being thrown around, which take away from the poetic language that comes with performing (and watching) a Shakespearean show. It is difficult to tell where an audience member’s attention should lie: with the struggling females in the saloon? with the race struggles between Fabian, Antonio, and the men-folk of Illyria? with the actual plot? These forced choices are distracting to say the least.
The concept for hosting the play’s events in the western town of Illyria is a very interesting idea, and it shows a step in the right direction for placing a Shakespearean piece in (near) modern times. However, costumes are not consistent with one time period; the California Gold Rush took place from around 1848 to 1855. It is distracting to see the beautiful gowns of Olivia, based somewhere around the mid 1800s, and then be confronted with Toby and Andrew Aguecheek’s (Chris Metz) bright and gaudy attire, which seems to stem from a 1960s western flick. It leaves the audience to wonder if there was any research done at all past watching John Wayne movies on TCM. Additionally, Cesario and Sabastian’s matching costumes are reminiscent of the 1920s.
As far as the other technical aspects are concerned, the crew excels. The lighting is appropriate for all instances (a makeshift campfire is even created by a small spotlight with an orange gel) and the set is well designed, providing spaces for a saloon, Orsino’s office, Olivia’s home, and a patio area. Transitions between these spaces are well organized technically and are seamless, allowing the saloon door to become the front gate of Olivia’s home and the main room of the saloon to become Olivia’s garden. Clever spaces are provided for hiding away unused furniture and set dressings.
Overall, this tale of disguise, love, and mischievous antics wears a bit too thin, and even though it delivers a few bright stars and a couple of quick tricks, it remains a lackluster portrayal of one of Shakespeare’s finest works.
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