OFF-BROADWAY REVIEW
OFF-BROADWAY REVIEW OF TWELFTH NIGHT
Reviewed by Ron S. Covar
Published 2011-04-11
Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness; some have greatness thrust upon them. Thus goes the famous line uttered by Malvolio, echoing the contents of that infamous letter in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. One of Shakespeare’s popular works, Twelfth Night is a merry mix of mistaken identity, cross-dressing, unrequited love and other familiar Shakespearean ingredients.
In Twelfth Night, Orsino (David Sedgwick) employs the help of Cesario (who is actually Viola in disguise, played by Lindsay Teed) in expressing his affection for Olivia (Anna Marie Sell). However, Olivia unexpectedly falls for Cesario/Viola who in turn falls for Orsino. Meanwhile, Malvolio’s (Brandon Walker) obsession with Olivia leads him to fall prey to the tricks of Maria (Erin Cronican) who adores Sir Toby Belch (Jorge Hoyos). At the play’s conclusion, Viola ends up with Orsino and Olivia ends up with Sebastian (Ben Leasure) who is a devoted friend of Antonio (Michael Jefferson).
The Seeing Place Theater’s production of Twelfth Night at American Theatre Actor’s Sargent Theater is not for the purists. For one, this staging of Twelfth Night is presented in modern dress with modern music. The cast’s wardrobe is a diverse mix of suit (Sir Toby, Andrew), office ensemble and pajamas (Maria), elegant floor-length dress (Olivia) and uniform (sea captain). However, Malvolio, Sir Toby and Feste do not seem to have costume change at all.
The production’s use of contemporary music is a wise choice as it livens up the whole production. The sweet mellow transition music complements every scene and, in some instances, helps in telling the story (no matter how cheesy it may seem to some). In one scene, Chris Martin announces that Malvolio has indeed fallen for Maria’s prank with the infamous cross-gartered yellow stockings when Coldplay’s signature song, Yellow, blares and segues to intermission.
With limited space, the production’s stage set is kept to the barest essentials. Joshua Rose’s lighting design generally appears adequate except in Malvolio’s later scene with Feste where Malvolio could have been provided with some lights (while at the same time indicating that Malvolio has been thrown into a dungeon) rather than keeping him completely in the dark, literally.
Brandon Walker infused some interesting directorial choices. It is amusing to see Malvolio change the stage set between scenes (although this could have also been borne out of production constraints). However, an unintended awkward moment arises when it is finally revealed that Sebastian and Viola are actually twins, followed by a remark that they look so alike that no one could tell them apart. The fact is, Ben Leasure and Lindsay Teed (who play the twins) do not look a bit alike.
Mr. Walker’s staging seems to lack the vibrancy and genuine fun associated with this Shakespeare opus. There is no doubt that being a director in a stage production is tough enough but being both director and lead actor in one production presents a tremendous challenge even for a theatre veteran. Although there are some artists who appear to successfully straddle between these two tasks at the same time, one of these roles definitely suffers as a result.
The strength of this production clearly lies in the performance of its actors. The admirable pair of Brandon Walker and Anna Marie Sell delivers the strongest performances here. Walker is a gifted and dedicated actor who is effortlessly funny as Malvolio. In The Seeing Place’s production of John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger last year, Mr. Walker displayed the same focused performance. Ms. Sell plays her part with panache, and she is therefore more effective here than in her role as Mr. Walker’s punching bag in Look Back in Anger. It appears that this theatre company scores better, in terms of overall production, when it does a piece with a small cast.
As Orsino, the gentle and dignified-looking David Sedgwick does not only embody the respectability which his role requires; he is also a highly effective actor. Nathan Ramos is also highly effective as Andrew. With his Chaplinesque moves and facial contortions, Mr. Ramos is undoubtedly funny as well. Erin Cronican as Maria is also a highly competent actress although she seems miscast as lady-in-waiting.
In his dual role as the sea captain and Antonio, Michael Jefferson clearly stands out, delivering his lines almost flawlessly. With hints of being an overly passionate actor, Mr. Jefferson would be a tremendous asset to The Seeing Place’s ensemble pieces if given the right role. On the other hand, although Ben Leasure is clearly a competent performer, he seems too young to play Sebastian opposite Ms. Sell’s Olivia. And this probably affects Mr. Leasure’s ability to convey passion which Mr. Jefferson communicates so effectively.
Lindsay Teed as Viola tries hard but she does not appear totally convincing. Likewise, David Arthur Bachrach as Feste has ample opportunities to be totally engaging and funny but he does not seem to fully connect with the audience. But he sings Steve Przybylski’s original music quite beautifully.
The other versatile members of the ensemble, Ned Baker Lynch (as Curio and Fabian) and Michael Stephen Clay (as Valentine and the priest) provide valuable support.
With a three-hour production and a big cast like this, the unexpected is bound to happen. The Seeing Place’s staging of Twelfth Night is no exception with its near-accident (an actor almost slips with some spilled wine on the floor) and real accidents (an actor accidentally spills the wine on the floor and the uncredited crew in charge of music prematurely cues the music in one scene. When one actor makes a disturbing gesture in reaction to the apparent music miscue, the suspension of disbelief suffers irreparably.)
The Seeing Place Theater is only two years old, and its production of Twelfth Night shows that it is far from being the great theater company that it aspires to be. Hopefully, the passion of its highly committed and dedicated artists will eventually propel it towards that destination.
At this point, The Seeing Place Theater should not be afraid to commit minor blunders because the audience would be less forgiving once it gets older and hopefully, wiser.
Be not afraid of the bumpy and slippery road for many lessons are to be learned along the way.
Be not afraid.
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