Welcome to Illyria! 

Reviewed by Angie Hoover 
The Four Clowns Theater Company 
Through December 16 

RECOMMENDED 

Welcome To Illyria is a joyful, interactive imagining of Shakespeare’s The Twelfth Night that incorporates improvisational comedy, music, and clowning. Heartwarming and silly, this rendition is well-suited for families looking to laugh together during the holiday season.

For those unfamiliar, the original text is a comedy of errors which sees twins, Sebastian (Asa Walker) and Viola (Christian Drerup), marooned and separated after a shipwreck.  Believing she may never see her brother again, Viola disguises herself as a man and finds work in town as a scribe. What follows is a farce of intertwining love triangles, mistaken identities, and other misunderstandings. This version is stripped to its bare bones, using only 2 or 3 chunks of text from the original play, though the original story is kept fully intact. Upon entering the theater, each guest is addressed directly by Sebastian, Viola, and some of the other actors who are dressed either in 1970’s casual wear (i.e. bell bottoms, vests, flared collared shirts) or Christmas-themed sweaters. This may at first seem unfitting, but it actually adds to the production’s absurdist approach to storytelling.

Set against a static set adorned with Christmas presents, a fireplace, and other seasonal props, the collective imagination of the performers is what signals changes in location, time, and general context. As with most improvisational comedy, tongue-and-cheek dialogue and audience participation are relied on for momentum. The cast of 12 is extremely synchronized and adept at creating a feeling of camaraderie while on stage. Each actor is clever and entertaining in his/her own right without upstaging the other performers, and the physicality of each character is fine-tuned and innovative.

Always shining in its use of movement and stage choreography to create a fully-formed universe of pretend, the play reminds the audience of the distinct differences between theater and other visual mediums, and allows the audience to take on a collaborative role. In fact, it feels as if the cast, the director, and the spectators are creating a story together, which conjures a special kind of holiday spirit that many are searching for during this time of year.

The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, 1238 W 1st St., Los Angeles; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. www.welcometoillyria.brownpapertickets.com. Running time: one hour and 45 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.