Theater review: Menlo Players' 'Twelfth Night' would be enjoyable any night Theater review: Menlo Players' 'Twelfth Night' would be enjoyable any night (June 09, 2004)

By Bryan Wiggin
Almanac Theater Critic

Menlo Players Guild is opening its Mid-Peninsula Shakespeare Festival with "Twelfth Night." This is one of Shakespeare's earlier comedies, and it contains his familiar themes of mixed identities and love, in the end, triumphant.

Orsino, the Duke of Illyria -- done with aristocratic reserve by Douglas Young - - is in love with Olivia -- done with aristocratic poise by Sandra Weingart -- who spurns his advances because she is in mourning for her brother.

Meanwhile, shipwreck and a stormy sea have cast onto the shore Viola -- the pretty and appealing Rebecca Stroth-Pickens -- who believes her fraternal twin brother, Sebastian, to have drowned. Having had good report of the duke, she disguises herself as a man, using the name Cesario, and enters his service.

He promptly sends her to woo Olivia on his behalf. But Olivia, taken by the youth's comely appearance, loses her heart to him.

The second plot involves Maria, Olivia's gentlewoman; Sir Toby Belch, Olivia's uncle; his pal Sir Andrew Aguecheek; and Feste the clown in their ploy to undo Malvolio, Olivia's pompous steward. They let him find a letter Maria has forged in which Olivia longs to see him dressed in yellow, wearing crossed garters, and constantly smiling -- fashions and a manner the rascals know their lady abhors. When Olivia encounters Malvolio, she thinks he's lost his mind.

(About these: Todd Wright is bluff and hearty as Sir Toby; Amr Mourad brings his distinctive comic weirdness to Sir Andrew; Elise Angell, in the show's best performance, is spirited, energetic, and attractive as Feste; James G. Mantell is suitably pompous as Malvolio; as Maria, Allison Asher is a bit overpowered by her colleagues.)

Sebastian -- somewhat underplayed by Aaron Parees -- arrives in town and is mistaken by Olivia for her beloved Cesario. Love sprouts quickly in Sebastian's breast, and they marry.

There's lively confusion when Duke Orsino, Olivia, Viola, and Sebastian all encounter each other. But when Viola's identity is revealed, the duke decides to make her "Orsino's mistress and his fancy's queen." Malvolio, who has been further abused by his tormentors, departs with his famous exit line, "I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you.

The comic scenes in "Twelfth Night" are written in prose, and Shakespeare's prose always contains more contemporary slang and allusion than does his verse. Of course, all these inside jokes, so smart and timely to his audience, are largely inscrutable to us. Director Bruce W. De Les Dernier overcomes much of this problem by having his actors play it broadly, with horseplay and hamming. Not everything is made clear by this, but it elicits quite a bit of laughter and an overall good time.

Mr. De Les Dernier keeps the pace of the play generally swift, as it should be in Shakespeare, and, most importantly, the actors speak with almost constant clarity of articulation.

Pati Bristow has created a really beautiful spectrum of costumes. The sets of Matthew Riley are rather plain, but they provide a useful quantity of doorways on several levels. The amplified sound is uneven, with one side of the stage making voices louder than the other.

There was applause after quite a few scenes of this enjoyable production, and the actors deserved it, for the show has color, vitality, and vigor. But remember: the performance is outdoors, and it gets cold out there, so bring more coverings than you think you'll need.

INFORMATION

"Twelfth Night," by William Shakespeare, is being presented by Menlo Players Guild outdoors at Mid-Peninsula High School, 1340 Willow Road, in Menlo Park. Remaining performances are on Sunday, June 13, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, June 26, at 8 p.m. For information, call 322-3261, or visit www.menloplayersguild.org.

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