PAD celebrates 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

By Liam Otten

Lying, cheating, malevolent mischief and the benign sort as well, gender-bending cross-dressing, and even a little sword fighting.

All in a play's, uh, day's work for William Shakespeare, whose Twelfth Night -- a quick-witted romp through love and illusion -- was first performed in February 1602.

Photo by David Kilper

(From left) Nick Choksi as Feste, Shewan Howard as Duke Orsino and Emily Madison as Viola/Cesario in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, presented by the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences Feb. 15-17 and 22-24.

The Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences will celebrate that distinguished anniversary with a new production at Edison Theatre. Shows are at 8 p.m. Feb. 15-16 and at 2 p.m. Feb. 17. The show continues the following weekend at 8 p.m. Feb. 22-23 and at 2 p.m. Feb. 24.

The story begins on the coast of Illyria, where the shipwrecked Viola (Emily Madison) grieves for her twin brother, Sebastian (Danny Nathan), last seen astride a sinking mast. Now alone in a strange country, Viola takes refuge in disguise, adopting male attire and a new name -- "Cesario" -- and enlisting as a page to the noble Duke Orsino (Shewan Howard), with whom she promptly falls in love. Orsino, however, pines for the Countess Olivia (Robin Kacyn), who in turn has sworn seven years of chastity while mourning her own lost brother.

At wits' end, Orsino dispatches the handsome young Cesario to woo on his behalf and, surprisingly, Olivia does fall deeply in love -- but with Cesario, much to the chagrin of Viola and Sir Toby Belch (Sam Reiff-Pasarew), Olivia's merry, freebooting old uncle, who has backed the romantic candidacy of a rich, foolish friend, Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Justin Rincker).

Matters are further complicated by the ferocious power struggle being waged in Olivia's household between Belch and the ill-tempered steward Malvolio (Barrett Graves), yet it's only with the arrival of an unsuspecting and very much alive Sebastian that events truly begin to spiral out of control.

"Twelfth Night is about young people, about love and dreaming and approaches to love that are not yet fully formed," said Henry I. Schvey, Ph.D., chair of the PAD, who directs the 19-member cast. "It begins with this wonderful line, 'If music be the food of love, play on,' which introduces all of the play's paramount themes -- music, appetite and desire.

Twelfth Night Who: Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences; directed by Henry I. Schvey What: A play by William Shakespeare Where: Edison Theatre When: 8 p.m. Feb. 15-16, 2 p.m. Feb. 17; 8 p.m. Feb 22-23, 2 p.m. Feb. 24 Tickets: $8 for University faculty, staff and students and for senior citizens; $12 for the general public. Available at the Edison Theatre Box Office, 935-6543, and all MetroTix outlets.

"It's also one of the funniest plays Shakespeare wrote, though it's not easy to classify as simply a comedy," Schvey continued. "There's a kind of deep mysteriousness running throughout, tinged with darker elements. Each of the characters is consumed by passion for someone or something they can't really have, and perhaps the most frequently used word is 'madness,' which refers to the madness of love but also to other regions of the human psyche. As is often the case with Shakespeare, the comedy can go as deep as you'd like to take it.

"Ultimately, Twelfth Night is a kind of fairy tale. It's the story of a young woman who washes up on shore and proceeds to transform both her own life and the society she's stumbled into. There's a tremendous universality in that, as well as tremendous charm and wit."

The production has been a labor of love for Schvey, who directs the PAD's summer study program at the Globe Theatre in London and also serves on the board and is artistic adviser to the Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis. In conjunction with the new production, Schvey also is teaching a short course for University College in Arts & Sciences and, in the coming weeks, will lead a pair of workshops for the University's Lifelong Learning Center.

Other attendant events include a three-week residency by actress Jane Lapotaire, honorary associate artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and a visit from Patrick Spottiswoode, the Globe's director of education, who will deliver the PAD's annual Helen Clanton Morrin lecture Feb. 20.

The spare, elegant set -- designed by Christopher Pickart, artist-in-residence -- features a roughly 8-foot by 12-foot pool of water, constructed in situ, with minimal furniture brought on and off stage as needed.

"Teaching at the Globe, I've learned a lot about the importance of simplicity in staging Shakespeare," Schvey said. "This is not realistic drama: There's a certain presentational effect in Shakespeare, an important sense of interaction between the actors and the audience."

The production also features original music by jazz composer William Lenihan, lecturer in the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, with costumes by Bonnie Kruger, senior artist-in-residence in the PAD, and lighting by David Vogel, technical director and artist-in-residence.

Tickets are $8 for University faculty, staff and students and for senior citizens, $12 for the general public. Tickets are available at the Edison Theatre Box Office, at 935-6543, and through all MetroTix outlets. For more information, call 935-5858.