New Paltz Twelfth Night Production

Reading Shakespeare and seeing Shakespeare are two very different experiences. On the page, the characters can often seem static and mere pawns in the resolution of Shakespeare's plot. In Twelfth Night Viola and Olivia must find love at the play's conclusion but they can not find love with each other. Olivia finds love with Viola's substitute, Sebastian, and Viola finds love with Orsino.These new loves feel like mere formality since there must be a resolution and Orsino's affection seems, like a leaf, to blow easily from Olivia to Viola. On stage, emotions unfold the plot and the story comes alive.

In our readings of Twelfth Night, Orsino comes across as a rather weak character prone to whining and melancholy. It almost feels like Viola doesn't find love as much as she is sentenced to Orsino and his moody ways. On the stage, the actors did a wonderful job of giving life to this relationship. Orsino is a man in love with being in love. He is over-flowing with emotion and seeking the right person to be worthy of this love. Olivia is the perfect foil for this role because she doesn't receive his love. He's left to wrestle with these emotions and in comes Viola/Cesario.

From the first moment, Orsino is instantly attracted to Cesario. At first, it seems that he/she is useful but unlike his other servants, Orsino's voice softens and becomes playful when speaking to Cesario. Orsino is acted as a powerful man and presence on the stage. He is played as man with a dual nature. On the one hand he is the authority figure in this region and he must command in his public persona. In private, we see a man who doesn't just want a wife but he wants to find love.

The play did a great job of showing the developing attraction between Orsino and Viola/Cesario. Viola as Cesario knows that she is the perfect vessel for his love but she can not act because of her disguise. Orsino, as Duke of Illyria, finds himself touched emotionally by Cesario in a way that no man has ever affected him before. The moment when Orsino and Cesario almost kiss on stage, the audience is holding its collective breath hoping for this to happen. When they break away, the audience feels the full frustration of Viola's situation.

I thought all the performances were strong and especially thought the comic relief of Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Maria balanced the frustration and confusion of the lovers. Even Antonio, is full of smiles at the end of the play, having reclaimed the love of his "friend" Sebastian. One can imagine Antonio hanging around house keeping Malvolio in check.