The only Shakespeare text I will ever admit to actually enjoying was A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I just don’t get Shakespeare — and I don’t mean that in terms of misunderstanding content and context, but I just don’t get what the appeal is.
Going into this performance, I didn’t know very much about Twelfth Night. I knew some things here and there, and I suppose that’s where I ran into problems.
For the better first half of the show, I had no idea what was going on. Literally no idea. There were words that had no meaning, and my brain was automatically filtering it all out instinctively. Every time the audience laughed, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Huh. So I guess that was supposed to be a joke then.” I did catch a few of the jokes here and there: I especially liked the comment about Olivia not liking yellow because of how much she loves melancholy — if that’s not a mood, I really don’t know what is.
Anyway, I was only able to fit the puzzle pieces together towards the end. Once the show came closer and closer to its conclusion, the little pieces started to fall into place. I only wish I had understood the first half of the story — I think that would’ve made the experience more enjoyable for me. I think, subconsciously, when I find myself not understanding something, my go-to defense mechanism is to just shut my brain off completely and block it all out. Clearly, that’s not the best course of action, but we’re all internally intimidated by the things we don’t understand. Even amongst all the comedic jabs and light-hearted singing, I was intimidated. Why? Because it’s Shakespeare. I suppose I need to work on being more receptive to things that are foreign to me, and not shut myself off completely just because I don’t understand.
When I did finally figure out what was going on, pieced together during the last 20 minutes of the performance, I thought it was amazing how all the little details came together. I think it’s funny how Shakespeare, who is notorious for his tragedies, managed to make a whole love story without killing anyone off! Although I still kinda feel bad for Malvolio. Don’t get me wrong, he definitely got what was coming to him, but man. Can you imagine dressing like a lemon and getting rejected like that? Rough. Also, Maria deserved better…Even if the major plot point was caused by her.
The director made an interesting point about the little lighting and music details I hadn’t thought of before. He pointed out that back in ye olden days when they would perform shows like this, that they would typically do it during the day. There was obviously no lighting equipment as we have it today, but it was an important aspect of the viewing experience for me that I hadn’t even realized. At one point, the only light that could be seen was being emitted by the hanging lightbulbs overhead, which produced a starry effect, and I thought the very faint light cast across the floor following Malvolio’s chained up scene was fascinating and added a lot to the ominous aura of the events unfolding. To think that those same effects were not possible back in the day is astonishing, especially because it has such a profound impact on the meaning and details. I also found the incorporation of music to be interesting, especially since the director stated that he tried to incorporate whatever talents the actors had. I think, even though it’s not actually apart of the real play, it did add to the experience as a whole. It was the little personal touches that made the performance enjoyable amidst my grand confusion and frustration.
Well, I have certainly learned my lesson. I will try to be more open-minded and receptive to these kinds of performances in the future.
