Classic?

We had a fantastic opportunity to see the great English playwright William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at the Classic Stage Company. The theater company was very cool due to its in-house café. Patrons could sip coffee as they waited for the play to start whilst chatting with other theatergoers. I think the café front mainly serves as another source of revenue for the company.

Walking into the theater itself was amazing. The audience wrapped around the level stage in a U formation. We could essentially see the actors from three sides which elevated the performance to a whole new level. The stage was made from hardwood floors that brought new meaning to the space the actors utilized and occupied. In addition, there was a second floor that doubled as a balcony/higher ground in certain scenes. It was cool how they used the space to bring drama.

I extremely liked the set. It was bare, primarily made of wood and other natural materials. It gave the stage a warm, rustic feel that I believe accompanied the play very well. Dressed in the clothes of the ‘20s and ‘30s, the costumes of the actors also fit the overall play. They made it easier for us as audience members to relate and imagine ourselves in the play.

At first, none of us really understood the plot of the play. It was hard to comprehend, differentiate and distinguish the characters, and recognize their roles in the play. The directors tried to humor the audience with lots of gags and slapstick comedy. Some of the characters would exaggerate their behavior, making for tons of laughter. Another thing I thought really cool was the actors sitting on the “sidelines” also watching the play. In a way, they were the other audience members looking from the back. They would join in on the fun, not afraid of having their laughs and giggles heard.

I also liked how all the music was played by the actors. They were actors, singers, and musicians. The live original music featured a viola, cello, guitar, and piano. All the actors sang songs that helped explain what was going on in the play. Sometimes they would sing and dance altogether, showcasing the fun of the play.

The humor was too good. The over-exaggeration of the faces, movements, actions, and speech of the actors brought a new element of joy and laughter to the audience members. The yellow stockings that resulted in Malvolio looking like the Man in the Yellow Hat dressed in a yellow hazmat suit was extremely funny. The surprise of the audience was too much. I liked how the play did not rely on memorization and did not exactly stick directly to the script. There was a percentage of improvisation, where the actors went off script and said what came to mind and was relevant. When Toby exclaimed his victory in catching all the swords and complained about the surplus bread, I just about died from laughter.

Twelfth Night was an amazing play that I thought would be boring, but ended up as one of the best plays I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.