Bard gets down and funky

By Mike Taylor
Calaveras Enterprise
June 30, 2006

Shakespeare with sultry jazz? The Bard on a “Sea Cruise?” If it’s “Twelfth Night” at the Stevenot Amphitheater outside Murphys, you’ve got it, babe.

The opener for this year’s Theatre Under the Stars series found this humble reviewer leaning in to hear the jokes and sitting back to tap my toes. That director Graham Scott Green managed to get me to enjoy a play by the Bard is no small feat, and I dare say that anyone who find’s Shakespeare a little on the difficult side will leave this show talking about the night spent with Murphys Creek Theatre.

As virtually every character comes onstage, Green sets each entrance to music, that is, music of a decidedly jazzy style. It’s all cool, groovy and slick, as William’s tale of folks missing the love that’s right before their eyes plays out amid the evening sky. And with a tune at about every turn, this almost plays like a musical production, what with the dancing (even the Sharks and the Jets!) and the singing.

I’ll try and condense the story into a succinct paragraph: Viola and her twin, Sebastian, are shipwrecked at Illyria. (Bummer, man.) Neither knows the other has survived. Viola decides to change into a suit (for safety’s sake) and ends up working for Duke Orsino, who has the hots for Olivia. She’s too caught up in the deaths of relatives to care who cares. Orsino sends Cesario (Viola in drag) to woo Olivia, but she falls for the page instead (whoa, dude). Olivia sets Malvolio after the youth, tricking “him” into making another appearance at her home. Cesario realizes “he’s” wandered into a minefield, especially since Viola actually digs the duke (oops!).

Back at Olivia’s pad, the feisty Sir Toby Belch (ever the fitting moniker!) has a running row going with Malvolio, and he has Olivia’s maid, Maria, pen some prose that suggests Olivia moons for Malvolio. When Malvolio makes his moves, Olivia thinks he’s gone wacko, and has him locked away.

Belch sets Cesario up, foisting the “dude” into a duel with Sir Andrew Aguecheek, a hollow hipster who’s partying hardy with Belch and his clown, Feste. Sebastian washes up onshore and everyone realizes they love someone else. Dig it.

OK, that was more than a graph, but you have the gist of this gender-bending romp.

While the first act is a tad on the longwinded side (and a few folks fled the theater on Friday), I suggest you stick around for the second act, when Shakespeare sets his shenanigans into motion and the laughter far outweighs the waiting.

Tara Kayton is goofily masculine then cautiously timid as our heroine. The bravado is greatly exaggerated as Cesario, and terrifically downplayed as the unsure Viola; the contrast suited the character as well as her duds.

Jack Sousa plays a stouthearted duke who’s cool but a bit dim. He dances well (don’t miss the beginning of the show!) and plays a boozed-up lothario to the hilt.

William Trier and Misty Day are excellent as Belch’s buds, Aguecheek and Feste. Trier is the foil to many of Belch’s jokes (most race over his head) and Day sings some songs that add nicely to the madcap milieu. Josh Gren marvels at the mayhem Belch is allowed to set in motion and plays the biggest Bohemian in the Bard’s bawdy bunch. These three easily chalk up the most laughs in the show, but I’d be remiss if I missed Martha Kight as Maria. She reminded me of Miriam Margolyes as the Nurse in Baz Luhrmann’s film version of “Romeo and Juliet.”

Lara Ford plays a grand Olivia, capturing sexiness and sadness combined in myriad moments. She’s a knockout in her swimsuit and a force of nature when Olivia’s riled.

Stephen Daly really gets the chance to trip the night fantastic in this show, giving Malvolio a simplistic nature coupled with heaps of heart. He’s hilarious when Malvolio falls for Belch’s trickery, fluttering his eyebrows like a love struck teenager and grinning like a cat with a canary.

Tiffany Tassano and Kyle Gundlach add their talents in supporting roles. There’s not a weak link in the entire chain.

Yes, the Bard’s sometimes a tough nut to crack, but this cast – and Green’s enticing staging – make this a “Night” to remember. Pack a bottle of wine and some snacks, low-backed chairs (no, not those behemoths on the back patio), some mosquito repellant and enjoy a really cool shindig. This Bard gets down and gets funky!