Theater Review by Walter Murphy . . .
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night has been around for a bit, since 1604, so there is little more to be said about the text that hasn’t been picked over by countless academics. The recent production by the Axis Theatre Company, brilliantly directed by Randall Sharp from a streamlined adaptation by Marc Palmieri, is guided by the ensemble’s performance and production enhancements. The result is a delightful, fun-filled 90 minutes of mirth, music, and pranks. A Shakespeare comedy without drama.
Besides the splendid performances of the ensemble, live music, composed and played by Paul Carbonara, along with musician Yonatan Gutfeld, was a welcome addition to the production. Simple, elegant play of guitar and piano (with occasional cello) formed a perfect counterpoint to the comic conflicts of the characters.
There are all the Shakespearean elements one expects from the Bard’s comedies. Wise fools, cowardly knights, wiley servants, drunken men, dim lords and ladies, swordplay and duels, lost and found siblings, vanity that blinds one to deceit and questionable fashion choices, pranks, wordplay, gender-switching, sing-alongs, disguises and characters who fall in love at first sight.
The story is about a young woman, Viola (Britt Genelin) mourning the death of her twin brother Sebastian (Eli Bridges), who is not dead yet. She disguises herself as a young man, Cesario, and becomes a servant to Duke Orsino (Jon McCormick), who is in love with Countess Olivia (Katy Frame). Olivia isn’t feeling it for Orsino but is taken instantly by Cesario when he/she delivers the Duke’s love letters to her. Also, Orsino finds that he has odd feelings for his servant but is conflicted and confused as to why. Further confusion, Viola/Cesario falls for Orsino. Quite the triangle.
As with other Shakespeare plays, there is the role of a wise fool. Here that role falls to Feste, played wonderfully by Spencer Aste. It is Feste who has his doubts about the disguised Cesario, though he isn’t quite sure why.
Further complicating the plot, Olivia’s butler, Malvolio (Brian Barnhart) takes a dim view of her paddling of odd duck relatives, Sir Toby (George Demas), Sir Andrew (Andrew Dawson), and Fabian (Brian Parks). He lets his displeasure with their drunken antics known. Of course, they retaliate by pranking the pompous butler. Maid Maria (Lynn Mancinelli) pens a letter presumably from Olivia to Malvolio expressing her love for a man who wears yellow tights. Malvolio takes this as a sign that his secret love for Olivia will finally find a way forward. When he appears in the silly attire, Olivia is aghast and has him locked up.
Meanwhile, from the land of lost siblings, Sebastian and his protector Antonio (Jim Sterling) return. Upon meeting Olivia, thinking Sebastian is Cesario, she asks him to marry her. Ever the gentleman, he agrees. This begins the questioning of who’s who and in love with whom.
Eventually, and after some unpleasantness, all is sorted. Olivia is cool with Sebastian and Orsino with Viola/Cesario. And Mavolio is sprung from jail. All around, a happy ending.
All members of the large ensemble were as professional as personable. I particularly liked that the performers genuinely appeared to enjoy themselves as much as the audience did. Additionally, even when not part of a scene, performers stayed on stage in the background and to the side. I thought it showed a commitment to the ensemble ethos by reminding the audience of the array of characters. (Rarely was there a sparse stage.) There were 14. And all were excellent.
One of the advantages of the Axis Theater is the audience’s proximity to the performers. With this production, one could truly appreciate the richness of the period costumes designed by Karl Ruckdeschel. Simply spectacular. And kudos for the hair and makeup stylings by Will Vicari and wigmaker Krystal Balleza.
Stage design (director Randall Sharp doing double duty) allowed for fluid entrances and exits for the actors while keeping the focus on the performers.
Full disclosure. In college I took a survey course on Shakespeare, studying the sonnets, comedies, dramas, context of his works, theories about collaborators—everything about the Bard. By the end of the semester, it was Too Much Ado About Shakespeare. Consequently, he was not one of my faves. Surprisingly, this production succinctly captured the fun to be found in his work for me—like a pop-up play. All his comic devices and wordplay in 90 minutes. Plus, live music. Grand!
Twelfth Night. Through October 26th at Axis Theatre Company (1 Sheridan Square, Greenwich Village, NYC). www.axiscompany.org
Photos: Regina Betancourt
