July 2010 Theatre Review by Joe Stead
Twelfth Night
There is a fun minute or two during the curtain call of First Folio Theatre's summer outdoor production of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" where the entire cast erupts into a celebratory dance. It makes you wish that the preceding two and three quarter hour performance had been as much to celebrate. While some classical companies lavish strange and often outrageous concepts on the Bard in an attempt to make the centuries old texts feel new and fresh, First Folio is one that generally avoids such temptations. This year's staging is a "Twelfth Night" as seen through a "Passage to India" prism.
The results are definitely pretty but also a bit ponderous. We have to accept that two shipwrecked twins, Viola (Minita Gandhi) and Sebastian (Behzad Dabu), who each believe the other to be drowned, are so similar as to be mistaken by potential lovers and confidants, and yet the actors bear little physical resemblance. There is also nothing remotely masculine about Ms. Gandhi's voice or physical appearance to make us believe anyone would confuse her for her brother. The familiar gender-bending device Shakespeare loved to employ must have been much more entertaining when the female roles were first played by juvenile males.
We're
also meant to derive entertainment from Shakespeare's romantic
roller coaster of a plot, in which girl loves boy, who loves girl,
who loves girl dressed as boy. That's even harder to buy in
First Folio's staid account because there are simply no romantic
fireworks to match the thunderous roar of the amplified crickets in
this natural setting. Melanie Keller's Olivia is supposed to be
in deep mourning and melancholy as the play opens, her cold heart
gradually melting under the charms of a dashing young messenger
(Viola in disguise as Ceasrio). The usually outstanding Keller
plays Olivia without any of the grief or the sudden surprise of being
swept off her feet by this eloquent young swain. The black veil
over her face is the only indication we have that she is in emotional
despair, her delivery as chatty and brash as if she were a teenager
on a cell phone.
There is some solid professional talent under Mother Nature's perfect backdrop. Anish Jethmalani is a strong Prince Orsino, easily embodying nobility and command with few accoutrements. Mouzam Makkar and Jonah D. Winston also distinguish themselves in supporting roles as the chambermaid Maria and pirate Antonio, respectively. But the lack of romantic chemistry prevents Minita Gandhi's heroine/hero from being more than adequate. Director Michael Goldberg has also missed the comic potential of Olivia's drunkard uncle Sir Toby Belch (Donald Brearley) and his foppish pal Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Nick Maroon). They are simply unfunny stooges. Likewise, the distinguished Craig Spidle, a first-class dramatic actor, lacks the comic acumen for the Fool Feste.
The diverse multi-cultural cast is wonderful in principal, but something of a verbal muddle in execution. Hearing Shakespeare's words spoken in clipped Indian dialects, or in the case of Nick Sandys' starched Malvolio a thick Northern England brogue, makes the verse frequently hard on the ear. One can clearly see the potential in Goldberg's concept, and the lovely original score by Henry Marsh, exotic and colorful costumes by Elsa Hiltner, and the simple but suggestive multi-purpose set by Angela Miller, all of which create the flavor of the Middle East. Those impressive elements alas don't quite compensate for the missing wit and romance of this popular "Night".
First Folio Theatre presents "Twelfth Night" through August 8, 2010 at Mayslake Peabody Estate, located at 31st Street and Route 83 in Oakbrook, IL. The play runs 2 hours 45 minutes with intermission. Performances are Wednesdays through Sundays at 8:15 p.m. Tickets are $28 for adults, $23 for students/seniors. For tickets call 630-986-8067 or visit www.firstfolio.org. For more information on this show, please visit the Theatre In Chicago Twelfth Night page.
About Joe Stead
Joe
Stead has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the theatre, which has
involved acting, directing, producing, designing and reviewing for
the past twenty-five years. He served as founder, producer and
Artistic Director of Curtain Up Productions in Baltimore, Maryland
and Four Star Players in Tampa, Florida. Favorite productions
have included "Life With Father," "Deathtrap,"
"The Odd Couple," "The Miracle Worker,"
"Brighton Beach Memoirs," "You're A Good Man, Charlie
Brown" and "Godspell". He has also performed
leading roles in "Fiddler on the Roof," "Pippin,"
"The Phantom of the Opera," "The Front Page," and
most recently as Hucklebee in "The Fantasticks" for
Waukegan Community Players. Joe holds a degree in Commercial
Art from Tampa Technical Institute. As a critic, he has
reviewed everything from Broadway to community theatre and major
regional theatres throughout the United States including the Kennedy
Center in Washington, D.C., Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey,
Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and the Asolo Theatre in
Sarasota, Florida.
Since 1998, he has been a proud resident of Chicago, the greatest theatre city in America. He served for two years as Theatre Editor for College News and Central Newspapers. He created the website Steadstyle Chicago in 2000 to showcase the city's outstanding and diverse theatre scene. Joe was proud to serve alongside a distinguished panel of theatre professionals as a judge for two seasons of Speaking Ring Theatre's "Vitality" Festival of original short plays. His most fulfilling role, in addition to reviewer and all-around theatre fanatic, was as director of the 2007 production of Peter Shaffer's "Equus" at Actors Workshop (now Redtwist) Theatre, which was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Award Citations and won for Best Actor (Peter Oyloe).