Twelfth Night update —
We had great seats, in the stalls on the back row, but around the side where we had a great view. I had never been to the Courtyard Theatre before, but it is a wonderful space, with a thrust stage and excellent seating, banked well so you aren’t obstructed even if you’re in the last row. Slightly interesting casting, as they had a man playing Viola/Cesario, which in our opinion (the 3 Teachers who went…) negated the necessary sexual tension between Viola and Orsino, but they also had women playing all the comic male characters (Toby Belch, Fabian and Andrew Aguecheek), and they were fantastic. It was also set in Victorian/Edwardian times, which was an interesting choice. The program had a large section on crossdressing, and they were obviously exploring this theme, which many references to Victorian crossdressers in the program as well as the costumes used. But the staging and lighting were excellent (particularly commented on by the Drama Teacher of the 3…)
A special mention has to be made of the actor who played Feste – fantastic performance, and a very interesting interpretation by the director of his character. He is the fool, who entertains but also speaks the truth and sees through deception, and his role was basically one of a down-on-their-luck lounge singer… Worked very well in the setting of this production. Kudos to all!
