Twelfth Night (Or What You Will)
Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
The Long Beach Shakespeare Company
Through June 17
That adolescent boys and young men played the female roles in William Shakespeare’s day surely wreaked humorous havoc on the Bard’s gender-bending comedy. Director Ken Knight has gone a step further, casting women in some of the male roles, and thus amping up the gender fluid frivolity of this classic romp with the timely message that love comes in many forms.
A lovestruck Orsino (Paul Dixon), Duke of Illyria, pines for the Countess Olivia (Rachel Speth) who, in profound mourning for her recently deceased father and brother, has isolated herself from all visitors, much less suitors. Upholding the somber ambience of the household — as well as keeping all intruders out — is Olivia’s strict attendant Curio (Phoebe Balson): the prudish stewardess Malvolia (Ryan Holland, replacing male Malvolio in the original text), who constantly restrains the hijinks of the merrier members of Olivia’s household; a ukelele strumming jester Feste (the dulcet-voiced Sara Neal ); rowdy maid Maria (Amazing Oakes), tipsy uncle Sir Toby Belch (Jonah Goger) and jilted admirer Sir Andrew (Eduardo Mora).
Meanwhile, a violent storm has shipwrecked the noblewoman Viola (Aura Rico) and her twin brother Sebastian (Jake Soss) on the shores of Illyria. They are separated, with Viola rescued by the ship’s captain and Sebastian feared lost to the tempest. A woman alone in a strange land, Viola pulls back her hair, slaps on a fake mustache, and cross-dresses as Cesario, who Orsino hires to help him woo the fair Olivia. Calamity ensues as unrequited love and mistaken identity mix for a comical roundelay.
Despite – or perhaps because – of the limited stage space, the cast adroitly handles Knight’s inventive slapstick moves —even as his inventive casting mines novel entanglements. The Jack Sparrow-like pirate Antonio (Andrew Tyrell-Smith), who saved Sebastian from the brink, harbors a fierce affection for his new friend. While declaring, “I do not without danger walk these streets,” the tough yet tender Antonio enters the dreaded Illyria to help Sebastian find Viola. Malvolia’s atypical romantic stirrings, arising from the subterfuge of Feste, Maria, Toby, and Andrew, present some scene stealing opportunities for Holland that she grabs with gusto.
For the most part, the cast display exemplary comfort with the text, with just a few bumps along the dialogical road. Rico is splendid as Viola, humorously fighting for sanity in the madness she created. Oakes comes close to embodying her first name, with amusing facial expressions and body gestures that are enhanced by her lanky countenance. Though volume levels were inconsistent, Knight’s pop song interludes set the appropriate ambience for the ensuing scenes and truly do serve as food for love, so play on.
The Long Beach Shakespeare Company, Helen Borgers Theatre, 4250 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through June 17; https://www.lbshakespeare.org/ Running time: two hours and 15 minutes with an intermission.
