William Shakespeare may not have written in the language college students are accustomed to hearing in a Chris Rock routine or an Adam Sandler movie, but that doesn’t make his theater any less raunchy, witty, or entertaining. The often base humor of Shakespeare’s comedies is theatrically exposed in Mask & Bauble’s new production of Twelfth Night, as the actors deftly go from playing dirty pranks to jousting, from singing Beatles songs to lamenting a count’s broken heart. Drunken debauchery and gender mix-ups abound in this comedy revolving around a shipwrecked young woman, Viola, who poses as a man to survive in a foreign land. As she is drawn into the court of the mystical land of Illyria, she both encounters havoc and creates some of her own.
Twelfth Night is the Mask & Bauble Theatrical Society’s first Shakespeare production in four years and the first faculty-directed production in 10. The importance of Twelfth Night as a co-production of the Society and the Art Music and Theater department is evident; this production, however, does not fall short of high expectations. Packed full of ironic dialogue and taut action, the actors and production staff have clearly worked in tandem to create a comedy that does justice to the Bard’s words. The director and producer, Prof. Maya Roth and Sally Richardson (CAS ‘04) respectively, play up the music and humor of Shakespeare’s most lyrical comedy without crossing into Disney status; the show walks the fine line between just enough and overboard well enough to captivate the audience.
While the best part of Twelfth Night is undoubtedly Shakespeare’s jest and drama, those words are clearly and cleverly expressed by the actors. Michael Benz (CAS ‘04) is insidiously convincing as the holier-than-thou butler, Chris Hajduk (CAS ‘04) captures the lovesick count with whining and pining, Sarah Krokey (CAS ‘06) engagingly portrays gender ambiguity as Viola/Cesario, Lindsay Whalen (CAS ‘06) is a naughtily appealing maid in fishnet tights, Diana Cherkas (SFS ‘03) is the radiantly grieving duchess, and Diana Aurisch (SFS ‘05) is the flamboyantly musical fool. While all of the actors have a firm handle on their characters, standouts include Michal Slaby (CAS ‘04) and John Dzundza (CAS ‘06) as Sirs Andrew Aguecheek and Toby Belch, the drunken clowns of the play. Their comedic chemistry is as well-matched as their voices, soprano and baritone respectively. All of the actors, however, move energetically as they dexterously combine words and action to the benefit of the audience members.
The continuous, quick action is facilitated by the fantastical set created by Rhiannon Gulick (SFS ‘03). An unexpected and complex set awaits the audience as they walk into a palpably different world. Forgoing the usual theater setup, Gulick has created a fluid amphitheater in which the audience’s domain is relegated to little more than their seats. Performance and viewing space are combined, and the players make the most of this fact with their movement. Props surround the stage, and the costumes, created by Christina Logothetis (SFS ‘03) are equally appropriate. Colorful and consistent, the characters’ costumes seem to be woven around the words they speak.
The possibilities for a production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night are endless, as it is one of the Bard’s most musical and comedic works. Maya Roth takes advantage of the full range of theatricality allowed by his words. Through music, movement and references to pop culture, she makes this production both insightful and accessible to even the least scholarly of audience members. From the Keanu-esque shipman to the rationalization behind going to bed after midnight to the exhibitions of the many different shapes and sizes of love, Mask & Bauble’s Twelfth Night is undeniably fun.
Twelfth Night is playing in Poulton Hall April 3-5 and 9-12 at 8:00 pm.
