On my way to the Hanna Theatre the Great Lakes Theater Festivalís presentation of ìTwelfth Night,” I got into a discussion about adapting Shakespeareís texts for film. What makes it a tricky endeavor, in my opinion, is that the Bard was very aware of the nuance of the stage, and when a script provides such an effective road map for performance in one medium it is very difficult to translate to another. People move differently on a stage because that is how they get attention, rather than relying on a camera to force focus. Shakespeareís language demands so much movement to create meaning, and the cast of ìTwelfth Night” certainly take more than vocal cues in their interpretation of the text.† Director Charles Fee has worked the text into a very energetic and accessible comedy with the help of an incredibly talented ensemble and capable design team.
ìTwelfth Night” is set on the coast of Illyria, and follows the story of a pair of twins, Sebastian and Viola, though mostly Viola. They have been separated by shipwreck and each thinks the other is dead. Viola chooses to disguise herself as a man, Cesario, and serve the Duke Orsino, a love-sick nobleman pining for the affections of Olivia, who has been in mourning for her brother and father for seven years. Orsino sends Viola, known to all as Cesario, as a messenger to relay his favors to Olivia. She naturally takes no interest in Orsinoís offers, but instead takes a liking to the disguised Viola.† Gender comedy ensues. Meanwhile, Oliviaís steward Malvolio is an unpleasant, pompous windbag, so other members of Oliviaís household fool him into to thinking that Olivia is in love with him. While the prank grows more and more out of proportion, Oliviaís affections for Violaís disguise increase in a similar fashion, and eventually culminate in a duel between Viola and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, an incompetent knight. The duel, which is more or less another prank forwarded by the same bunch that fooled Malvolio, is interrupted by the arrival of Sebastian, who looks exactly like Viola, or rather, Cesario, now that she as dressed as a man. Mistaken identity comedy ensues, and Olivia marries Sebastian, thinking him Cesario. After all identities are revealed, Orsino finds himself in love with Viola, despite having thought her a man, and all ends well with everyone married, in the classic Shakespearean comedy tradition.
Sara M. Brunerís Viola is fantastically awkward in her disguise of Cesario. Her movements, mannerisms and range of expression fully capture and present all manner of comedic situations that come out of such gender-bending. Jodi Dominick plays very well against Bruner as Olivia; the false chemistry between the two characters is hilarious. The ensemble of Oliviaís household ó Eduardo Placer as Feste the fool, Laura Perrotta as the gentlewoman Maria, Andrew May as Olviaís uncle Sir Toby Belch, his protÈgÈ Sir Andrew Aguecheek and David Anthony Smith as the steward Malvolio ó perform beautifully together in their circus of pranks and mistaken identities.
While no individual performer steals the show, the B-plot about Sir Tobyís and Mariaís pranks has a tendency to overpower the main plot. This could be intentional, however, as the theme of the play deals more with a general air of festive absurdity, and the love triangle between Olivia, Orsino and Viola seems more like a part of that whole than a plot by itself. The choice of music, influenced by Spanish gypsy music, as well as Persian and Indian influenced music enhances that festive air while simultaneously adding to the pace of the show. Used as background music, it built the mood and every scene change felt like some sort of dance, and while performed live it enhanced the already very lyrical nature of the text.
If youíve got the time, ìTwelfth Night” is certainly worth the drive out to Cleveland. The show will be running alongside The ìMystery of Edwin Drood” at the Hanna Theatre on Playhouse Square until Oct. 31 as part of the Great Lakes Theater Festival.† More information can be found at www.greatlakestheater.org.