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The holidays are an appropriate time for a production of "Twelfth Night," one of Shakespeare's most popular romantic comedies.
"Twelfth Night," presented by the Actors' Shakespeare Project in Cambridge, MA.
by Bill Marx
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The Actors' Shakespeare Project performs "Twelfth Night" (photo: Carolle Photography) |
Boston, MA - December 21, 2005 -
When it comes to Shakespeare, familiarity breeds contentment and that can be a trap. Some stage companies believe that plays such as "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Twelfth Night" are so strong they can be put on the equivalent of theatrical cruise control. The opposite is true. Given how well audiences know these plays, productions need more, not less invention, in order to startle viewers out of complacency.
Versions of "Twelfth Night" in particular have gone through fads. For a while melancholy versions were big, with every character from Olivia to Sir Andrew Aguecheek bordering on the suicidal. Then there was the fashion for sadism, with Sir Toby Belch leading a drunken gang on the rampage. Then came the hunger for a "Twelfth Night" that provides nothing but gales of laughter. What's left out of these approaches is the play's tangy romance -- for some reason, modern productions find it difficult to express the play's eroticism.
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images from The Actors' Shakespeare Project production of "Twelfth Night" |
The Actors' Shakespeare Project's production is not big on sexual passion -- it takes a light-hearted approach that is strong on comedy and high spirits. Director Robert Walsh kicks off the evening with cast members celebrating with the audience, suggesting that the production is content to be a holiday pick-me-up. And on that respectable level the production is successful enough, moving along with pleasant though superficial alacrity. The gags tend to be less rooted in character than in vaudeville. For example, Olivia has a hard time getting the ring off her finger to give to Viola. The delivery of the verse is clear and direct with few attempts to dig into the language to reveal new facets of Shakespeare's characters.
The comic performances fare the best, with Ken Cheeseman delivering an ultra-repressed Malvolio and Bobbi Steinbach making for a predictably hard-boiled Maria, Michael Balcanoff's Toby Belch is more furious than funny at times, while Michael F. Walker's Aguecheek is amusing, though the actor's deadpan wears out its welcome. Kenny Raskin's Feste is cuddly rather than complex.
Marya Lowry is too mature for the role of Olivia. As Viola, Sarah Newhouse serves up plenty of pluck but not enough charm. Wearing a derby, her raven-black hair parted in the middle, Newhouse faintly resembles Charlie Chaplin. She tends to act with her eyebrows, which flare up and down. Greg Steres portrays Orsino as a hollow blockhead. The Actors' Shakespeare Project's "Twelfth Night" plays it safe, content to provide amiable season's cheer.
The Actors' Shakespeare Project's production of "Twelfth Night" runs through January 8, 2006 at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge, MA. For tickets, call 866-811-4111.
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