Twelfth Night at Parker Theatre

Last night I had so much fun seeing Shakespeare's hilarious comedy Twelfth Night at Parker Theatre. I was laughing out loud the whole time and I was definitely not alone (there were lots of teens in the audience and that made my English teacher heart so happy). Sebastian (Alex Glover) and his twin sister Viola (Camrey Fox) are shipwrecked on the Illyrian coast in a terrible storm and each thinks that the other is dead. Viola disguises herself as a man named Cesario and offers her services to the Duke Orsino (Jason Hackney) with whom she immediately falls in love. Orsino is desperately in love with the Countess Olivia (Hannah McKinnon), who is in mourning for her brother, and sends Cesario to her to woo her on his behalf but Olivia, in turn, falls in love with Cesario. Meanwhile, Sebastian is wandering around Illyria and is, of course, mistaken for Cesario. Chaos ensues! There is also a secondary story, which is the source of much amusement, involving Olivia's obsequious steward Malvolio (David Johnson). He makes life difficult for the other members of Olivia's household, most notably her uncle Sir Toby Belch (Tyler Oliphant), her would-be suitor Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Scott Butler), her gentlewoman Maria (Katherine Tietjen), and her jester Feste (Owen Briggs). To get their revenge they have Maria mimic Olivia's handwriting and send him a letter in which Olivia professes her love for him and requests that he wear yellow stockings with cross garters (a fashion she dislikes). Hilarity ensues! This play includes a lot of physical comedy and it is extremely well done. I especially loved the scenes featuring the lovesick Orsino languishing on a chaise longue, Malvolio running to Olivia when summoned, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew engaging in drunken revelry, Sir Andrew half-heartedly fighting a duel with Cesario and then running away when challenged by Sebastian, Olivia chasing Cesario around the stage after declaring her love for him, and Malvolio attempting to woo Olivia with his yellow stockings and cross garters. I really enjoyed everyone in the cast (Johnson gets a shout out) but Oliphant and Butler gave my favorite performances because they have brilliant comedic timing. I laughed and laughed at all of their antics! Every aspect of this production, including costumes, sets, and lighting design, is outstanding and I particularly liked the choice to have Olivia's gowns become progressively lighter as she emerges from her melancholia as well as how the shipwreck is staged. Not only is this a highly entertaining play but it is also very accessible and easy to follow (the teens sitting near me loved it and said that they all want to see it again). It runs on Fridays and Saturdays through September 7 (go here for tickets) and I highly recommend it.