Stevens students put on William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in the DeBaun Performing Arts Center this past weekend, the venue’s 13th annual production in its Shakespeare series. The production of Twelfth Night brought out the play’s music and humor, one of Shakespeare’s early romantic comedies.
The play follows the various romances and hijinks that occur one winter in Illyria, a Mediterranean-inspired land ruled over by Duke Orsino (Christian Fodor) and Countess Olivia (Isabela Allen). Just as Orsino is seeking to marry the countess, a shipwreck washes up on Illyria’s shores, leaving siblings Viola (Kai Raiola) and Sebastian (Ryan Grigoletto) stranded, each believing the other one dead. Viola, believing herself unable to survive alone as a woman, soon disguises herself as a man and joins Orsino’s court under the name “Cesario”. The comedy and the tension come when Countess Olivia, believing Viola a man, falls in love with her instead of Orsino, creating a love triangle that lasts to the end of the play.
The story is much more than Orsino and Olivia, with the various members of their courts providing both comic relief and significant subplots of their own. The play sees most of Countess Olivia’s court plotting against Malvolio (Hissam Effendi), a servant famously described as being “sick of self-love.” The group of courtiers makes Malvolio believe that the countess is in love with him, planting a fake letter from her with the intent that he read it and make a fool of himself — and make a fool of himself he does. Dressed in bright yellow stockings, Malvolio follows the advice from the letter he believes is from the countess, disgusting her with his romantic advances and neon clothes. The court jester (Ayyoob Saeed) is particularly fiendish and humorous in the plot. Adorning a gray beard and low booming voice, the fool toys with Malvolio—now locked in a cage after his romantic advances—making him admit his wrongs.
The music of the DeBaun production is an additional bright spot, laying the groundwork for both the story’s sentimentality and its comedy. The music takes center stage as Orsino—to the backdrop of the court guitarist’s strums and the singing of the entire cast—discovers his love for the still-disguised Viola. Music also provides considerable comic relief throughout the production. Coming home drunk and elated after a night of revelry, Olivia’s uncle Sir Toby (Ryder Bidwell), and potential suitor Sir Andrew (Kalman Zold) break out into song with the court jester and fool. The ensuing scene sees the two knights lift Feste up on their shoulders and dance across the stage, provoking the humorous outrage of Olivia’s lady-in-waiting, Maria (Taylor Terry).
The story ends with a scene worthy of the rest of the show’s emotion and humor. The show’s cast, having resolved their quarrels and confessed their romances, have only one thing left to do: they look to the audience, grasp each other’s hands, and start to sing and dance a merry tune.
