CEDAR CITY — Mistaken identity, disguise, love triangles, intrigue – this could describe any number of comedies unfolding on stage or TV, but nobody does a cross-dressing romantic escapade like the Bard himself. And this time, it’s coming to life in a unique way at the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
For a short run only (July 29 to Aug. 2) this production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is part of an exchange program with London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Now in its sixth year in partnership with The Utah Shakespeare Festival, the cast is made up of RADA’s Shakespeare for Young Audiences touring group, with the commitment from the Utah Shakespeare Festival to work to hire at least one RADA student or graduate at the Festival each season.
During Artistic Director John DiAntonio’s pre-show welcome, he joked that the crowd assembled in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre represented the “die-hard” Shakespeare fans. While that may be true considering most casual theater-go-ers are not quite ready to ingest the Bard’s flowery language at 9:30 a.m., Twelfth Night is actually one of the more accessible Shakespeare storylines. This version in particular, staged with a more modern flavor, is an excellent way for Shakespearean neophytes to cut their teeth on a tale that is complex enough to be funny, but simple enough to follow.
When a pair of twins, Viola and Sebastian, are shipwrecked, each believes the other to be dead. Now in the city of Illyria, Viola determines to make her way by positioning herself as a man named Cesario and entering into servitude for Duke Orsino who is in love with the Countess Olivia. Taxed with expressing the Duke’s affections for Olivia, Olivia in turn falls in love with Cesario (who is actually Viola), while Viola falls in love with Duke Orsino, though he knows him as his male servant Cesario. As if that wasn’t enough, Olivia’s relation, Toby Belch, along with servant Maria, play a trick on Malvolio, who is also in love with Olivia, and further shenanigans ensue. The entire story twists once again when Sebastian, Viola’s twin who is not actually dead, also makes his way to Illyria and is mistaken by everyone to be Cesario the servant, adding another awkward angle to the various love triangles before the reality of everyone’s identity is revealed.
Right away, it was clear this version of the story had been plucked from the Elizabethan era and dropped into modern day at the skillful hands of Director Abigail Graham. Strains of pre-show rock/punk music could be heard from the lobby, and the simple metallic fringe stage backdrop, courtesy of RADA Costume and Set Designer Sophie Firth, along with modern wardrobe choices by RADA Costume Supervisor Annie Houseago, made me wonder if they would be presenting the story in current dialect too. That thought lasted through the opening strains of contemporary song “All By Myself” performed beautifully by Myka Defoe in her role of Feste. But then the Bard’s familiar language, “If music be the food of love, play on!” rolled forth and the juxtaposition of old-English and modern-era crystalized into view.
DeFoe continues to showcase her vocal chops throughout the production, singing snatches of other popular tunes including “Somebody to Love,” and “Only Fools Rush In.” Her duet with Viola/Cesario (played by Friedli Walton) on the latter is particularly engaging, and the musical underpinning of “Eye of the Tiger” during the final fight scene really amps up the energy of the scene.
It’s extremely common to cast women in male roles, or men in female roles in Shakespeare’s plays. However, when the story is already rife with mistaken identity and gender questions, having the character of Malvolio altered to be Madame Malvolio in this iteration adds some extra confusion. Even still, Emma Monnickendam’s portrayal of Malvolio is one of the highlights of the production, making it an easier pill to swallow. Her transformation from the more pompous, somewhat reserved, steward of Olivia’s household to the woman emboldened by her belief that Olivia was in love with her brings a great deal of humor to the show. A vision in yellow stockings and full of awkward smiles – as decreed by the mysterious letter she receives – does exactly what it was supposed to do. It endears the audience to the character, while cringing for her a little at the same time.
Olivia, played by Ellen Stone, does well as the love-struck countess, and delivers her many lines with pleasantly lilting elocution. Equally matched in her role as Viola, Friedli Walton manages to move back and forth between the Cesario and Viola roles with ease. Her oversized male clothing gives credence to her disguise, and thanks to the costuming, she and twin brother Sebastian (played by Kit Redding) can, without too much stretching of the mind, pass for one another, minus their height difference.
Throughout the performance, all of the actors remain on stage, taking their place in chairs that line the backdrop of the stage anytime their character is out of the scene. This adds an element of fun in seeing their response to what was happening on stage, as they all did well reacting in character. One who is particularly enjoyable to watch during these reactions, and during her time in each scene, is Agatha Enecio, in her role as Toby Belch. Traditionally cast as a male role, this time Toby is positioned as Olivia’s aunt, rather than her uncle. In an effort to play up her character as the rambunctious drunkard, Enecio impressively wobbles around the stage on very high heels, clad in black and animal print clothing. Those details, and her physical acting style, tell a fabulous tale to match her vocal lines.
The entire production is condensed into one act, taking only 1 hour 15 minutes to complete, which once again serves as the perfect way to introduce newcomers to one of William Shakespeare’s popular works. Clearly the relationship between Utah Shakespeare Festival and RADA is a win-win for them both. And luckily we as the audience, who gets to witness these excellent stories unfold in another way, end up winners too.
