Twelfth Night (two days early)
Jul. 11th, 2003 09:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidBut it was opening night for the Publick Theatre's production of Twelfth Night.
It was interesting to see how the same stage (seen last week in Midsummer) had a different set, and was used differently because of that. There were still the different levels, the same trap doors, but the ramp was on the other side of the stage, and there were wide steps leading down on the (audience) right, as well. The set was mostly carpets: a square of carpets hanging on one side, a row of carpets with an entrance cut into it (with yet more carpets behind that), and a moveable carpet hung on a wire. Towards the back of the set was also a huge portrait, which reversed to become a mirror, which was later moved to become a pond with light dancing over the surface, and the moving of the framed piece showed the painted topiary tree behind it.
The rest of the set was mostly potted trees, which appeared at intervals, every time the carpet moved from right to left across the stage. It was somewhat mysterious, since the growing number of trees seemed to serve no particular purpose, other than ornamentation.
The costumes were nice, men in knickers and foofy shirts (though not a one of them said "ARRRR!" or had an eye patch :-), women in long dresses. There wasn't anything particularly outstanding or eye-catching about them, at least compared to the other performance, though they did the job just fine (I still would've happily taken any of the foofy shirts, for instance, had they been on offer. Also Sebastian or Antonio's knee-to-mid-thigh leather boots :-). Oh, and Malvolio's yellow cross garters were yellow tights with black fishnets atop them, which he wore with a rather lounging playboy sort of style velvet-y robe.
It was a very nice performance. The fool was not only constantly playing with words (and being paid; he's pretty much the only Shakespeare character I remember actually being paid for his labors on such a regular basis), but also with music. He sang, and played many instruments. I don't know all the kinds of instruments he played, but he never reused any of them, and there were at least half a dozen small percussive things used. Sir Toby Belch was also excellently played, with his drunken reeling about, along with his (eventual) lady, Maria (a carpet-beater, among other things). Oh, and the actress who played Viola seemed much more enthusiastic than she did about playing Hippolyta/Titania last week.
Some other reactions, in no particular order: why Viola does decide to take service with the Count in the first place (rather than, perhaps, Olivia, the woman she admires for loving her brother so much)? Viola and Sebastian seemed far less amazedly thankful about finding each other than in some other productions I've seen, and it left the ending a bit flat. Also, Antonio is left still hand-cuffed by the guards at the end of the play; I believe other productions have shown him freed, which seems to make more sense for how Shakespearean comedies work. Malvolio is, indeed, rather grievously ill-used, but has the opportunity for things to be set on track again; I find myself contrasting this to Shylock, who is just o'erthrown for who he is, really, rather than being given a chance get his life back.
A group of us potlucked beforehand (organized by Hauntmeister), which was nice, though I felt a bit bad to be running late for that... Still, kasha knishes, and key lime dessert....
It was interesting to see how the same stage (seen last week in Midsummer) had a different set, and was used differently because of that. There were still the different levels, the same trap doors, but the ramp was on the other side of the stage, and there were wide steps leading down on the (audience) right, as well. The set was mostly carpets: a square of carpets hanging on one side, a row of carpets with an entrance cut into it (with yet more carpets behind that), and a moveable carpet hung on a wire. Towards the back of the set was also a huge portrait, which reversed to become a mirror, which was later moved to become a pond with light dancing over the surface, and the moving of the framed piece showed the painted topiary tree behind it.
The rest of the set was mostly potted trees, which appeared at intervals, every time the carpet moved from right to left across the stage. It was somewhat mysterious, since the growing number of trees seemed to serve no particular purpose, other than ornamentation.
The costumes were nice, men in knickers and foofy shirts (though not a one of them said "ARRRR!" or had an eye patch :-), women in long dresses. There wasn't anything particularly outstanding or eye-catching about them, at least compared to the other performance, though they did the job just fine (I still would've happily taken any of the foofy shirts, for instance, had they been on offer. Also Sebastian or Antonio's knee-to-mid-thigh leather boots :-). Oh, and Malvolio's yellow cross garters were yellow tights with black fishnets atop them, which he wore with a rather lounging playboy sort of style velvet-y robe.
It was a very nice performance. The fool was not only constantly playing with words (and being paid; he's pretty much the only Shakespeare character I remember actually being paid for his labors on such a regular basis), but also with music. He sang, and played many instruments. I don't know all the kinds of instruments he played, but he never reused any of them, and there were at least half a dozen small percussive things used. Sir Toby Belch was also excellently played, with his drunken reeling about, along with his (eventual) lady, Maria (a carpet-beater, among other things). Oh, and the actress who played Viola seemed much more enthusiastic than she did about playing Hippolyta/Titania last week.
Some other reactions, in no particular order: why Viola does decide to take service with the Count in the first place (rather than, perhaps, Olivia, the woman she admires for loving her brother so much)? Viola and Sebastian seemed far less amazedly thankful about finding each other than in some other productions I've seen, and it left the ending a bit flat. Also, Antonio is left still hand-cuffed by the guards at the end of the play; I believe other productions have shown him freed, which seems to make more sense for how Shakespearean comedies work. Malvolio is, indeed, rather grievously ill-used, but has the opportunity for things to be set on track again; I find myself contrasting this to Shylock, who is just o'erthrown for who he is, really, rather than being given a chance get his life back.
A group of us potlucked beforehand (organized by Hauntmeister), which was nice, though I felt a bit bad to be running late for that... Still, kasha knishes, and key lime dessert....