Twelfth Night or What You Will

Bard on the Beach (Vanier Park) to September 21, 2024
Tickets from $30 at 604-739-0559, toll free at 1-877-739-0559 or www.bardonthebeach.org

Posted June 21, 2024

Look out, Shakespeare! This production could be called Twelfth Night: The Musical. Director Diana Donnelly, composer Veda Hille, musical director Anton Lipovetsky (keyboards/guitar and Feste) and Charlie Gallant (Sebastian/electric guitar) have played fast and loose with your Twelfth Night or What You Will. Would Shakespeare like it? Well, he would have loved the opening night audience’s enthusiastic response. And, astute business man that he was, he’d love the promise of sold-out performances once everyone hears out how much fun it is. But.

Director Donnelly, in an effort to make the play even funnier than it is, sets the play in a circus. This allows set designer Pam Johnson and costume designer Mara Gottler to go crazy: colourful bunting, flags, a roulette wheel, games, ladders and a tiny platform for the Ring Leader (Andrew Wheeler) to stand on. And Gottler goes wild with zany combinations of mismatched plaids, striped stockings, a confection of a dress that looks like a birthday cake (on Olivia Hutt), and a costume on wonderful Dawn Petten (OMG, she’s funny) that defies description; the yellow, cross-gartered stockings that Shakespeare imagined on Malvolio (in this production Malvolia) have morphed into a body-hugging suit of yellow and pink and sparkles. Outrageous. A show-stopper of a costume.

Characters break into song – with lyrics mostly from Shakespeare  – and this cast can really handle the singing especially lovely Hutt, who plays the beautiful but initially chilly Olivia. Charlie Gallant, who also plays Sebastian (the identical twin that is presumed drowned at sea) really rocks when he picks up the electric guitar. Lipovetsky is, as always, fantastic on keyboards and guitar. There’s an amazing amount of talent on the Bard stage.

Kate Besworth, the understudy for Camille Legg, stepped in for opening night (amazingly, with no run-through) in the role of Viola/Cesario, one of the parallel romantic leads. Small but mighty Besworth brings a huge amount of youthful energy to the big tent; her interaction with Aidan Correia (as lovesick Orsino) makes that pair look like two puppies off leash in a pet store full of treats and doggie toys.

This production is all about surfaces: colour, sparkle, fun and games. It’s kaleidoscopic. Petten actually gets spun around on a roulette wheel and still manages to deliver her lines.

But does the story get sort of lost? Yes. And is there any dark under- current? Not really.

So, the plot: Orsino (Correia) is lovesick for Olivia (Hutt) who is in mourning for her father and her brother. She’s not interested in Orsino or any of the other suitors. Shipwrecked Viola comes to town disguised as a young man (Cesario) and attaches herself to Orsino who charges her/him with wooing Olivia on his behalf. But Olivia falls for Viola (disguised as a young man, remember) who has fallen for Orsino. An awkward triangle.

A subplot involves Malvolia, a steward to Olivia. Uptight, prudish Malvolia has earned the hostility of Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby Belch (Marcus Youssef), Maria (Evelyn Chew), Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Nathan Kay) – in short, pretty much everyone. They hatch a nasty plot to make a fool of Malvolia.

In all this mayhem, there are many standout performances: Hutt has both Olivia’s elegance and haughtiness as well as the character’s giddy exuberance once Olivia falls in love. Lipovetsky, as Feste, is a sprightly but quiet Fool, dispersing wisdom. Besworth, fortunate to have the opportunity to open not only Twelfth Night but also Bard’s 2024 season, is so animated that her exuberance infects the whole show.

Who steals the show? Well, in addition to the incomparable Petten, Nathan Kay as Sir Andrew Aguecheek does. That face. That snaky body. That stumbling, bumbling character. That hair. That impeccable comic timing. The whole package:  utterly hilarious.

But here’s the question: why a circus? What is it – apart from the fact that Bard on the Beach happens in tents – that suggested circus to the director? Call me Malvolia, but the lengths to which directors are going to bring Shakespeare into the 21^st century often seems simply calculated to bring younger people or people who don’t really like Shakespeare to the theatre. Shakespeare – who was notorious for throwing in bawdy humour and slapstick to amuse the crowd – might even approve.  I know, I know: bums in seats. But what about us? Those who love Shakespeare? Straight up?

So purists will be frustrated but they might want to go if they’re curious or in need of a good laugh. Or maybe they’d just like to see a terrific cast having a grand old time doing sort-of Shakespeare.