Displaying items by tag: Twelfth Night

From Twelfth Night’s well-known opening lines “If music be the food of love, play on …,” the stage is set for Shakespeare’s madcap comedy of misplaced love and mixed-up identities. Woven throughout this production are the colors, culture, and Caribbean-inspired music that play almost as important a role as the actors on stage.

There are those who prefer their Shakespeare straight up and true to the Bard’s written word and intended setting. I, however, am not one of them. I enjoy seeing Shakespeare’s plays reimagined and reset into different settings and time periods, and I was thoroughly enchanted and entertained by director Tyrone Phillips’ interpretation of Twelfth Night.

In his debut as a director at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Phillips brings his personal background to the stage as a first-generation Jamaican America. The island kingdom of Shakespeare’s Illyria comes to life under Phillips’ direction as a Caribbean paradise, complete with swaying palm trees, a sandy shore, and a reggae-inspired beat that pulses throughout the show.

There’s no way you can leave the theatre without a smile on your face, as if you’ve just been on a mini-vacation.

We first meet the Duke Orsino, played by Yao Dogbe, a talented veteran of Chicago Shakespeare, lamenting his unrequited love for Countess Olivia, who has declared a seven-year period of mourning for her brother. The duke’s emissaries have all been rejected, and he is at wit’s end.

That is, until a spectacular storm at sea deposits the young Viola, aptly played by Jaeda LaVoone in her debut at Chicago Shakes, on the beach of Illyria. Believing that her twin brother, Sebastian, has drowned in the storm, she disguises herself as a young lad, Cesario, and seeks employment with the duke. There’s something about the well-spoken Cesario that prompts the duke to send him to Olivia to proclaim the duke’s love to her.

Viola is immediately smitten by the duke, but vows to serve her master, and so as Cesario, goes off to see Olivia, wonderfully played by Christiana Clark. Craziness ensues as Olivia becomes love-struck with Cesario, and comically, Viola finds herself trying to extract herself from this awkward love triangle.

Throw into the mix the subplot of characters, led by Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby Belch, (Ronald L. Conner), and his sidekick, Sir Andrew (Alex Goodrich), who plot to prank the uptight Malvolio, Olivia’s stalwart steward, by leading him to believe that his mistress is deeply in love with him. Add the surprise appearance of Olivia’s twin, Sebastian, who in actuality also survived the shipwreck, and the series of mistaken identities that result add to the chaotic comedy.

 But, as with all Shakespeare’s comedies, all is resolved in the final scenes. Brother and sister are reunited. The Duke and Olivia, at last, find their true loves (and not with each other!), and even the mistreated Malvolio realizes that “everyone is fragile,” and makes his peace with his adversaries.

The production is a homecoming of sorts for Phillips, who first visited Chicago Shakespeare as a teen and later performed on its stage in A Midsummer’s Night Dream.  He has assembled a talented group of predominantly African-American actors who bring an energy and authenticity to the show. For me, the performances by Clark’s Olivia and Paul Oakley Stovall’s Malvolio stood out. Clark’s Olivia is bold, beautiful, and determined to win Cesario’s love. I was captivated by her larger-than-life presence whenever she was on stage. And Stovall shines as the puritanical prude, Malvolio, who underscores his performance with a subtle gesture or a raised eyebrow.

From the opening scene where Olivia’s jester Feste (Israel Erron Ford) invites islanders to stroll with him to a reggae-inspired beat to the curtain-call where the entire cast dances to that same exuberant rhythm, Twelfth Night is an energetic, joyous, laugh-out loud romp that is sure to entertain – a perfect escape for a couple hours from the holiday stress.

You can still get in on the fun as Chicago Shakespeare extended its run through Dec. 3.  

MidsommerFlight is a not-for-profit theatre company committed to presenting Shakespeare’s plays to everyone in an IDEA manner: Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, and Accessible; and to bringing the Shared Joy that results to underserved communities about Chicago.

MidsommerFlight has staged productions of ‘As You Like It’, ‘The Tempest’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘Hamlet’ and others, in various parks around the city. TWELFTH NIGHT has been its Holiday production since 2015 (skipping 2020) and is held in the lush Chicago Conservatory. Admission is pay-what-you-can (suggested donation $30).

Though TWELFTH NIGHT is MidsommerFlight’s perennial production, directors are rotated to offer a range of conceptual approaches to the comedy. This year’s Director, Bex Ehrmann (they/them) is queering up the Bard with a cast of diverse, trans and non-binary actors of various and sundry genders, races [albeit all human], and body types. Jack Morsovillo (he/him/his) is the Musical Director.  

The basic plot is (relatively, for Old Will) simple: twins Viola and Sebastian are separated when their ship is wrecked. Then as ever, it’s hard for women to find a good job, so Viola undergoes non-surgical gender reaffirmation, renames herself Cesario and is hired by bluff and blustering Orsino to woo the Lady Olivia on his behalf. Lady Olivia contrarily falls for Cesario, (who is Viola in disguise), who in turn pines for Orsino … Oy!  Hilarious antics unfold.

Every member of the MidsommerFlight troupe is a superb actor, dancer, and singer, and the cast of TWELFTH NIGHT is extensive. The cast is authentic and features an incredible amount of talent - Rusty Allen (he/him/his, Malvolio), Laurel S. Barrett (she/her/hers, Antonia), John Drea (he/him/his, Orsino), Becca Duff (she/her/hers, Fabian, U/S Feste), Courtney Feiler (she/her/hers, Valentine/Officer/Musician, U/S Olivia), Caleb Gibson (he/him/his, swing, u/s Orsino, Antonio, Sir Toby), Rae Hamilton-Vargo (they/them/theirs, Sebastian, u/s Malvolio), Reginald Hemphill (he/him/his, Sir Toby Belch), North Rory Homewood (he/him/his, Feste), Jessica Love (she/her/hers, Maria), Ebby Offord* (she/they, Olivia), Victoria Olivier (she/her/hers, swing, u/s Viola, u/s Sir Andrew, u/s Sea Captain/Priest/Musician, u/s Curio/Valentine/Officer/Musician), Travis Shanahan (he/him/his, Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Maddy Shilts (they/he, Viola/Cesario), Noelle Simpson (they/them/theirs, swing, u/s Sebastian, Curio, Valentine, Officer, Musician, u/s Sebastian), Natalie Welber (she/her/hers, Sea Captain/Priest/Musician, u/s Maria and Fabian).

The crew is just as superb. Text Captain Bobby Bowman (he/his) makes iambic pentameter accessible to ears still ringing from Janis, Jimi, and Mick, and further manages to enact the story despite ejaculations like “But soft!”  As ever with Shakespeare, the tasks of Fight and Intimacy Directors Thomas Russell (he/his), (Fight), and Charlie Baker (he/they), (Intimacy) tend to overlap.  

Cindy Moon (she/her) does a terrific job with costumes, and the music, composed by Elizabeth Rentfro and Alex Mauney, with additional composition by Music Director Jack Morsovillo along with Becca Duff, Courtney Feiler, North Rory Homewood, Victoria Olivier, McKell Rae, Noelle Simpson, and Natalie Welber is a delight – flutes and lutes and mandolins, oh my! Alyssa Mohn (she/her) (Scenic and Props), exploits the wondrous backdrop of the Chicago Conservatory.  

TWELFTH NIGHT is being performed Thursdays-Sundays through December 18th at the Lincoln Park Conservatory (2391 North Stockton Drive, Chicago).  For tickets, performance times and more show information click here. 

This year’s incarnation of Shakespeare’s gender-switch comedy Twelfth Night, Midsommer Flight’s holiday tradition returns to the Lincoln Park Conservatory as “an immersive journey.” Under director Kristina McCloskey (with associate director Stephanie Mattos), “Audience members will follow performers promenade-style from scene to scene, often having to choose which characters or plot points they’d like to follow.” Unfortunately, once you have chosen, you must commit to your choice—and I regretted a few of mine. And sometimes, you are forbidden from choosing which scene to follow when too many others have made a choice. As a result, I caught much of the interplay between Cesario, Orsino and Olivia (except for the part about how Viola became Cesario). I missed almost the entire subplot involving the maltreatment of Malvolio by Sir Toby, Maria, Aguecheek and Feste. I did see the moment when Antonio revealed to Sebastian that he could not show his face in Illyria, but others did not, which would make Antonio’s intervention on behalf of Cesario seem baffling to an audience unfamiliar with the play. There is still a lot to like in this Twelfth Night, likely more than I can report on. The amazing setting—which one can see even more of this year—is a bonus, especially if one likes a walk. The original music and songs by Elizabeth Rentfro and Alex Mauney (with additional music by Grant Brown, Caroline Kidwell and Lexy Hope Weixel, returning from previous productions) underscore the emotions and action of play. There are some strong performances. However, the “choose your own adventure” mode would make this a very confusing evening for anyone unfamiliar with the play. For anyone who wants to see how all the characters develop, it can be frustrating. Allowing the audience to promenade a little more freely might help, but ultimately, no matter which direction one goes, one will miss a lot.

Though I saw too little of some characters to form an opinion on the performances, I was able to see some almost fully. As Viola/Cesario, John Payne brings a little too much gravitas to the role, belying the character’s youth. Their voice can also be drowned out by the surroundings, though they create beautiful, intimate moments with Orsino, Olivia and Feste alike (the relationship with Feste, which can get lost sometimes, is amplified in this production to great effect as the intermediaries between the two courts find communion in their alienation from both worlds). Amy Malcom’s Olivia lacks the mournful hauteur normally found in Olivia, her grief for her brother seeming more like a figurative “headache” presented as a reason for rejecting Orsino’s advances, but she brings warmth and humor to her interactions with her court, and a palpable desire to her interactions with Cesario. As Orsino, Polley Cooney captures the nobleman’s imperious egocentrism at the outset, while slowly growing into the recognition that love cannot be demanded. Izis Mollinedo’s wise Feste becomes the glue of the production, providing much of the musical accompaniment as well as the clever wordplay that shows the foolishness of the many unrequited crushes. With a powerful singing voice and wry wit, Mollinedo is a worthy foil to the passions. Kathleen Mitchell is a powerful and passionate Antonio, who mysteriously risks all for Sebastian; in this production, Antonio’s attraction to Sebastian is obvious, though Audrey Napoli’s Sebastian seems much more ambivalent. I wish I had seen more of Tatiana Pavela and Grant Brown as Maria and Sir Toby Belch, respectively, as well as Lexy Hope Weixel’s Sir Andrew Aguecheek (though I appreciated Weixel’s hangdog, sniveling Aguecheek in the moments I did see—particularly in the ill-fated duel). Sonia Goldberg as Malvolio brought a heartrending sense of betrayal to the character’s imprisonment (though they were unnecessarily hidden behind a screen from my vantage point), followed by a seismic rage in the final scene, though I missed the machinations that brought Malvolio to this point. Special mention should go to ensemble members Kristen Alesia and Jillian Leff, who take on multiple other roles (Leff is very entertaining as Valentine), help manage audience movement, and provide musical accompaniment and vocals.

Directors Kristina McCloskey and Stephanie Mattos have done their best to bring the parts together in key moments, but much of the action still takes place in the next room, no matter which room one is in. This is not helped by the ending, which involves some nice reconciliations, but ultimately feels abrupt—while the typical resolution is too tidy and forced, in this production, the ending feels irresolute. As to the design, the backdrop to the action could not be more beautiful. Placing the Olivia’s first scene in the Orchid House is inspired, and the action allows for a good viewing of much of the Lincoln Park Conservatory. Unfortunately, the foliage can also make sightlines tricky, and some lines get lost in the ambient sound. The costumes by Cindy Moon range across time but convey the stations of the characters; the Hawaiian cruise-themed stage management is a nice tongue-in-cheek touch and Antonio’s, Viola’s and Sebastian’s costumes all have a vaguely nautical feel that works well. Props and scenery by Nina D’Angier are minimal, as they must be, but create effective spaces for Olivia and Orsino, and lend some specificity to the various scenes. The team of stage managers also deserves praise for keeping the audience moving, helping people who need assistance and guiding audience members to spaces for viewing—though they will probably hone their parts in this performance as they encounter all the many pitfalls this format potentially contains.

Though Midsommer Flight’s Twelfth Night is still a beautiful and joyful version of Shakespeare’s comedy, the “choose your own adventure” format, while an interesting concept, contains more problems than payoffs. For anyone unfamiliar with the play, the already confusing plot would be nearly impossible to follow. Those who are familiar may still miss favorite scenes. The performances are entertaining, and the music brings the love story to life. However, with each audience member following a different path, no one gets the whole story, and there is a lot of story to miss in Twelfth Night.

Midsommer Flight’s Twelfth Night runs through December 19, Thursday – Sunday at 7:30pm at the Lincoln Park Conservatory, 2391 N. Stockton Drive, Chicago, IL 60614. Tickets are pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $30, and are available at Twelfth Night (Winter 2021) | Midsommer Flight. Audience members must wear masks and stand during the performance (accommodations for mobility can be made with advance notice), which runs 100 minutes, and must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

For the fifth year in the row, the beautiful Lincoln Park Conservatory has become temporary home to Midsommer Flight’s annual production of Shakespeare comedy ‘Twelfth Night’. Admittedly, this was the main draw for me, as I love visiting the tantalizingly lush greenhouse space during Chicago’s colder months/ most of the year.  To accommodate the show, one of the Conservatory room has been turned into an intimate theatre with a catwalk-like narrow stage and two rows of chairs on either side.  Directed by Dylan S. Roberts, original music by Elizabeth Rentfro, Alex Mauney and Jordan Golding, this highly spirited and energetic play turned out to be a pure delight, amid green plants and ferns, notwithstanding Shakespeare’s witty dialogue.

Love is in the air, and mischief closely follows. A young woman, Viola (wonderfully played by Jackie Seijo), after being shipwrecked and stranded in a foreign land, poses as a man, becomes a servant to a nobleman, but then promptly falls in love with her master, Duke.  Duke’s heart, however, belongs to another – a wealthy woman Olivia, whose servant Malvolio (sassy Erika B. Caldwell, she’s so fun to watch!) gets pranked by his mistress’ household into believing that he, too, can merry into wealth and become a nobleman. Historically, there’s an old Christmas English tradition of role reversal, and it is believed that Shakespeare has written Twelfth Night as an entertainment for this tradition.

All of this role and gender reversal is a source of much confusion, and the actors masterfully act out every nuance and emotion, so, even with Shakespeare’s famously challenging dialogue, the show is highly entertaining and easy to follow. And speaking of dialogue, the actors have no trouble at all with that olden English (partial credit undoubtedly goes to text coach Amy Malcom). There’s a live band that’s part of the play, as musicians are also active participants. With all of that music, knife fighting, and dancing and prancing, it’s an occasional madhouse, but a really-really fun one.  

Highly recommended!