Twelfth Night Shines Brightly At The Old Globe
Article by Rebecca Romani
Fate and folly, love lost and won, secrets kept and told, are all part of the fun in The Old Globe’s superb choice of a Shakespearean comedy, “Twelfth Night, “ which opens the 2015 Summer Season, The Old Globe’s 80th year.
Originally written by the Bard in the dead of winter for the Christmas Season, Shakespeare’s cheerful comedy of mistaken identity, pranks and schemes, seems fit for any season, especially as Spring slips into Summer and timely as a new wave of civil equality slides into place.
Set in the spectacular outdoor theatre against a gorgeous backdrop, opening night was light on its feet and quick with its tongue, delivering a delicious mix of play on gender confusion, saucy servants and lovers wooing at cross purposes, much to the delight of a full house.
With deft directing by Rebecca Taichman and a talented cast, this “Twelfth Night” promises to be one of the great treasures of the summer.
Set in the mythical land of Illyria, the play opens with Count Orsino, (played by the smoldering Terrence Archie) lolling on a couch (and channeling his inner Yul Brynner from the “King and I,” by the looks of his costume), enthralled by love and not a little in love with his own reaction to it. The object of his affection, the Lady Olivia (an elegant Sara Topham) is likewise enamored, though not of Orsino. Instead, she seems far more taken with her nobility in mourning her recently deceased brother and father for what her fool, Feste (the versatile concert violinist Manoel Felciano) considers a ridiculous waste of time and beauty.
Orsino’s court is soon expanded by the arrival of Viola (brilliantly played by Rutina Wesley of “True Blood”), who believes her twin brother, Sebastian, was lost when their ship crashed off the coast, and must make her way, a stranger in a strange land.
Now cross-dressed as the youth “Cesario,” Viola soon becomes Orsino’s trusted page and confidant. Viola’s quick wit endears “Cesario” to the Count, while she struggles to keep her growing love for her employer as firmly bound in her heart as her body is in its
livery.
When Orsino sends “Cesario” to plead his case with Olivia, the action soon becomes a riot of pursuit. Olivia chases “Cesario,” Olivia’s cousin Sir Toby, tries to set her up with a hapless Lothario, Sir Andrew and Olivia’s steward, the aptly named Malvolio aspires to Olivia’s bed.
The play’s somewhat sober first act set-up gives way in Act II to romping joy as Olivia pursues “Cesario” with hilarious aggression, while Olivia’s prig of a steward, Malvolio, (played with touching, clueless dignity by Robert Joy) receives his surprisingly moving comeuppance when he makes a fool of himself after being tricked into thinking Olivia loves him.
The appearance of Viola’s long-lost twin Sebastian (a fine but underused LeRoy McClain) brings Olivia’s obsession with “Cesario” to a head and how it all ends is a master triumph of love trumping all, secrets revealed and order restored.
“Twelfth Night,” if heavily directed, risks being cloying and merely cynical but under Taichman’s nimble direction, the Globe’s production has a fun lightness and a sparkle. Small touches such as the ladies in waiting playing with wheelbarrows of roses underscore the change once Olivia throws off her mourning weeds while the sharp lady’s maid Maria (Amy Aquino, at times a bit strident but with impeccable timing), the pickled but well meaning Sir Toby Belch and the addled country lord, Sir Andrew Aiguecheek, (the well-matched Tom McGowan and Patrick Kerr) and Fabian (the excellent Daniel Petzold) are great reminders that Shakespeare, too, delights in earthy, bawdy fun.
Of particular note is Sound Director Todd Allman’s outstanding collaboration with Manoel Felciano (Feste) on the accompanying music. Moving between Elizabethan tunes and more modern twists such as quotes from “The Marriage of Figaro” and the Bee Gees, Felciano’s lyrical voice and improvisational busking are among the highlights of the show.
“Twelfth Night’s” ability to straddle time and place is underscored by the gorgeous set design by Riccardo Hernandez as well as the stunning costumes. The backdrop, set in shades of blue with two angels about to kiss, creates a magnificent extension of the sky as the sun begins to set and the small moat encircling the staging area gives both depth and sparkle to the flat green surface.
David Israel Reynoso’s costumes are a riot of anachronisms that fit both Taichman’s staging and the text itself, underscoring the delicate binary of gender switching and class. Orsino’s men sport steampunk-inspired livery while the color changes Olivia and her ladies go through are just the right shades of lush rose without conjuring up a saccharine Disneyesque romance. Sir Andrew’s mod meets Borscht Belt ensemble complete with sharkskin skintight pants is a sight to behold, while the slow stripping of Viola’s disguise as “Cesario,” complete with the lyrical unwinding of her red chest binding is as erotic as it is brilliant.
“Twelfth Night” can be a gamble, based as it is on timing and the ability to deliver the breezy wit and complex character shifts. But though Viola frets that that she may not acquit her part, judging from the reaction opening night, this “Twelfth Night” hits its mark, and is very much the play for a balmy summer’s night.
“Twelfth Night” runs through July 26. See The Old Globe’s website www.theoldglobe.org for times and dates.
Image: Rutina Wesley as Viola and Terence Archie as Orsino (seated) with Manoel Felciano as Feste in The Old Globe’s 2015 Summer Shakespeare Festival production of Twelfth Night, directed by Rebecca Taichman, June 21 – July 26, 2015. Photo by Jim Cox.
