"Twelfth Night" is heralded as one of Shakespeare's best comedies. Yet, ironically, the play is rife with tragedy - even before the actual events of the play unfold.
Director James Rutherford '07's "Twelfth Night" at Production Workshop attempts to question what is comedic by "looking at the nature and conventions of farce and melodrama," he said. Rutherford makes what he calls "unorthodox choices," such as a minimal set design and liberties taken in rewriting the plot's ending, placing an emphasis on tragedy.
Even before any events unfold on stage, a disastrous shipwreck has separated Viola (Charlotte Graham '07) from her beloved twin brother, Sebastian (Douglas Benedicto '08). She is left upon unfamiliar land to fend for herself. Meanwhile, the countess Olivia (Blanche Case '06) is forced to mourn the death of her brother just after she has mourned the death of her father.
The play opens after these events, as Viola disguises herself as a man called Cesario to work for the Duke of Illyria, played by Andrew Fox '06. The Duke, called Orsino, is consumed with love for Olivia, who is unable to accept his advances, partially because she is in mourning over the death of her brother and father. The Duke has Cesario relay messages of love and devotion to Olivia. However, Viola, disguised as Cesario, begins falling in love with him while Olivia begins to fall in love with Viola's alias. Matters get more complicated when Sebastian, whose multi-layered emotional state is captured by Benedicto, arrives in Illyria with his shipmate Antonio (Owen McDougall '07).
All three principal actors contribute to the somber tone of the play. The script indicates that Viola does not have Olivia's luxury to withdraw from the world to mourn because she has to maintain her disguise. Rather than revealing the strength and perseverance necessary in such a situation, Graham consistently portrays Viola as despairingly unhappy.
However, Case's confident sassiness in her portrayal of Olivia gives the character a multi-layered dimension, as does Fox's combination of elegance and arrogance in his portrayal of the Duke.
The heaviness of the dramatic irony in the relationship between Olivia, the Duke and Viola is lightened by characters such as Sir Toby Belch (Dan Hernandez '06), Olivia's uncle who lives in her backyard, and his acquaintances Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Aaron Cutler '08) and Fabian (Adam Mazer '08). The hilarious dynamic between Hernandez and Cutler is so crisp that it is as if the parts were written for them.
Lizzie Vieh '07 portrays the jester Feste, whose dark comedy is the source of much of the play's wisdom, encompassing both the tragic and comic elements of the play with her mischievous allure.
Austin Campion '06.5's portrayal of Malvolio evokes the widest range of emotions from the audience. He elicits laughter when he humiliates himself, believing that he has won Olivia's love and elicits sympathy after he receives extreme mistreatment.
