Twelfth Night

Being able to see the Classic Stage Company’s performance of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” was an unbelievable experience. Going into it, I didn’t know what to expect. I loved how the stage and theatre was set up, unlike the traditional center stage with seats directly across. Before the performance started, the actors came out and spoke with the audience. Usually that doesn’t happen, so to get to know the people behind the play before they performed was helpful. Getting to speak with the director after the play, we learned that the stage was set up much like how it was back then when Shakespeare was actually performed. It made it a lot more real and intimate to have the performance on the same level as the audience. It seemed like we were able to interact with the actors and see the different dimensions of the scenes.

I had never seen “Twelfth Night” before, but I quickly realized that I knew the plot from somewhere else. I had watched a movie, “She’s the Man”, which features Amanda Bynes, and I realized that it was a modern take on Shakespeare’s play. Having knowledge of that movie helped me understand a little better what was going on in the play. It wasn’t really a spoiler for me though because there were a few major changes that were made in the film. I also liked how the actors weaved in Shakespeare language with modern language to make it more understandable. There were a few jokes that I didn’t quite understand, but for the most part, the play was full of humor and excitement. I thought it was cool to see the actors also sing and play instruments. The director mentioned how he just added in music and instruments after learning that some of the actors had musical talent along with their acting skills. It amazed me to see how talented these actors were – being able to sing, dance, and act. The play itself ran for about three hours, but the actors didn’t seem tired and were able to recite all of their lines without issue.

My favorite aspect of the performance was that there were scenes where even the actors broke character, or just ran with what was going on. It wasn’t as formal and made it seem like the actors were simply having fun and running with the scenes as they went. Additionally, I loved how the set was made. It was very rustic, with rope hanging from wall to wall. There were a lot of beams and lighting which opened up the stage. Also, there was no level to the stage, so it felt like we were at a closer proximity to the acting.

Overall, I really enjoyed being able to see Twelfth Night in person. I loved the vibe of Classic Stage Company, with a cafe in the front, opening up to a small, but open stage with intimate seating. I liked the director’s take on “Twelfth Night” and would love to see more performances like this.