The plot thickens as Sebastian arrives in Illyria. Olivia has fallen in love with Cesario and later mistakes Sebastian for Cesario. Meanwhile, Sir Andrew, Sir Toby Belch (Olivia�s uncle), and Olivia�s maid Maria play around with Malvolio and stir up more confusion in this hilarious comedy.
What I really liked was the setting of the show in 1920s Greece, which is near the actual Illyria. The Greek flavoured music was fresh, light, and airy, creating a proper atmosphere for the play. Percussion, piano, and the guitar like bazouki (sp?) created a graceful, whimsical, and definitely lively sound that complimented the show well. The little musical interludes between scenes had a character of its own, merging the scenes seamlessly instead of only acting as random fillers. The music really got my attention since it complimented the play so well. Sometimes in plays the incidental music really just doesn�t fit the story at all.
The thrust stage at the Festival Theatre allows for more varied staging. The sets aren�t elaborate but establish the mood well. They are very compact, especially the benches at the three sides of the stage. One side folded up with bushes at Olivia�s residence and then would fold into plain, flat, box-like bench when at Orsino's.
The general impressions I got was that energy oozed out of this performance. You could sense it in the air and from the cast. The cast was a mix of the young talent and the seasoned veterans who gave viewers an exciting romp throughout. The themes being unrequited love and loneliness are enforced along with the many laughs.
FESTE - WILLIAM HUTT
William Hutt played Feste as solitary and very subtle. The jokes were still very amusing in a natural, unembellished manner. He had a clear, pleasant voice that really set a nice calm in the songs that Feste sings.
OLIVIA - MICHELLE GIROUX
Michelle Giroux was a very bubbly, more comedic type of Olivia possessing the right amount of a spoiled character. I remember her stealing the show last season in As You Like It as Phoebe. She was lively and vibrant, something that showed up in Twelfth Night. I loved her expression as Malvolio in his wooing gear swept her up into a tango.
VIOLA - TARA ROSLING
Tara Rosling was very energetic and passionate as Viola/Cesario. She conveyed the feelings and love for Orsino well as Cesario. You could see Viola behind the words she spoke as Cesario. Some of her most memorable scenes include: the duel with Sir Andrew, the scene with Orsino where he proposes, and the scene where she�s still Cesario and accidentally says, "I�ll leave now with the man I love." The duel had me laughing hysterically when she couldn�t hold the foil correctly and when they both chased after each other ready to stab each other with the foil held high over their head.
MALVOLIO - PETER DONALDSON
Peter Donaldson played Malvolio exactly like a killjoy as the playbill says. He was stuffy and a little insane. As he read the fake letter and eventually falls into Sir Toby�s trap, he was wonderfully amusing. I couldn�t help feeling somewhat sorry for him when he was deemed crazy and was locked away.
ORSINO - SEAN ARBUCKLE
Sean Arbuckle is a cross between David Keeley (former Stratford company member, Sam on Broadway in Mamma-Mia), Cary Elwes, and Robert Sean Leonard. He made a lasting impression with his entry at a taverna. He was yelling and on his knees, gesturing to the sky during the storm. His portrayal was very passionate. It showed in his laments and fits when declaring his love for Olivia and demanding Cesario to help him woo her. He became romantic and endearing when he eventually fell in love with Viola. The proposal scene was very tender (sorry I can�t remember the exact words) and the kiss at the end was a fitting ending.
SEBASTIAN - NICOLAS VAN BUREK
Nicholas Van Burek played Sebastian as a brave kind of guy who loves adventure. He was especially happy when Olivia mistook him for Cesario and readily accepted her invitaion. He made the most of his short time on stage with shock and disbelief when he saw Viola dressed as Cesario and realized that his sister may be alive.
SIR ANDREW AGUECHEEK - MICHAEL THERRIAULT
Michael Therriault was one of the highlights of the play. Both he and James Blendick (Sir Toby Belch) stole the show. He�s a very good comic actor who manages to embody the character and make the character alive. I got the same impressions last year when he was Motel in Fiddler on the Roof and Silvius to Michelle Giroux�s Phoebe in As You Like It. He was very entertaining as the bumbling Sir Andrew and transformed with a messy blonde wig (Sir Andrew is always having a bad hair day), high pitched nasal voice, and by acting klutzy (falling and tripping all over the place). The bumbling side was fully displayed in his entrance when he showed Sir Toby the dance he intended to use to woo Olivia. It was full of high kicks and he just couldn�t stay on his feet. The duel with Cesario was memorable since both could not fence and were utterly terrified. At the mention of Olivia disliking yellow, he lamented loudly in the nasal voice since he was dressed in yellow.
MARIA - DOMINI BLYTHE
Domini Blythe was very fun loving in this sort of raunchy role. She was an equal match for Sir Toby as they planned the fooling of Malvolio. She seemed to like tricking people as was displayed when Olivia and she covered their faces with their veils to fool Cesario upon his first visit. The wig she wore gave her a youthful appearance. It was quite different from when she was Gertrude in Hamlet and Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest last season.
SIR TOBY BELCH - JAMES BLENDICK
Sir Toby Belch is a crafty kind of character and loves to drink. James Blendick captured that well. He stumbled around and was ready equipped with flasks of alcohol. One of his memorable scenes was when he, Sir Andrew, and Fabian (Paul Dunn) spied on Malvolio as he read the fake letter. When Malvolio read the sentence in the letter telling him to turn around, the three spies quickly ducked causing much laughter since it was so sudden.
All in all, I really enjoyed Twelfth Night. It had a bit of everything in the plot and wasn�t too hard to follow. When I had heard who was in the cast, I really thought it would do well. People like Michael Therriault and Michelle Giroux had really enhanced the productions I saw them in last year and so I knew I would enjoy Twelfth Night. I think that the cast as a whole was wonderful and had good chemistry with each other. I felt the same way last year after seeing the amazing cast of Fiddler on the Roof. So to conclude, if anyone has the opportunity, Twelfth Night is definitely one of the best productions to see at Stratford this season.
Tara Rosling as Cesario and Sean Arbuckle as Orsino
Peter Donaldson as Malvolio and Michelle Giroux as Olivia
Nicholas Van Burek as Sebastian and Michelle Giroux as Olivia
Michelle Giroux as Olivia, Peter Donaldson as Malvolio, and Domini Blythe as Maria
William Hutt as Feste
Paul Dunn as Fabian, James Blendick as Sir Toby Belch, Peter Donaldson as Malvolio, and Michael Therriault as Sir Andrew Aguecheek
Michelle Giroux as Olivia and Peter Donaldson as Malvolio
Tara Rosling as Viola
James Blendick as Sir Toby Belch, William Hutt as Feste, and Michael Therriault as Sir Andrew Aguecheek
