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This unique brand of confusion begins when Viola\u2014played by the ever-resourceful Even Tyree\u2014washes up alone (or so she thinks) in Illyria along the Adriatic coast and borrows a man\u2019s clothing to avoid harassment. Disguised as the eunuch Caesario, she is almost instantly hired by Illyria\u2019s most eligible bachelor, Duke Orsino (James Stringer Jr., whose stalwart portrayal, paired with Tyree\u2019s Viola\/ Caesario, invites comparison with Season One of that certain Netflix hit). This being Shakespeare, of course Caesario is instantly smitten with the Duke, but has to hide it because she\/he spends most of her time wooing the maiden Olivia on the Duke\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Olivia\u2014played here with relish by Madalyn Macko\u2014spurns Orsino\u2019s every missive, but is smitten almost instantly by Caesario\u2019s outward appearance (Can you say \u201ccougar\u201d? Can you also say, \u201cclueless\u201d? I knew you could). And it doesn\u2019t help that she is hostess to a cousin, Sir Toby Belch (the gregarious Marcus Martinez), whose whale-scale drinking habits have drawn the scorn of Olivia\u2019s puritanical servant Malvolio (the dour, reserved Michael Blackwood).<\/p>\n
Unbeknownst to Olivia or Caesario, there is another suitor in the mix\u2014Sir Andrew Aguecheek (The lanky, gawky, charmingly awkward John Williams). Aguecheek has become Sir Toby\u2019s gravy train, and his purse and his hopes are drained to the last dregs through a series of misadventures. Along with what\u2019s left of his dignity (which, truth be known, was doubtful to begin with).<\/p>\n The tensions in Olivia\u2019s house rise to a fever pitch when Maria (the irrepressible Kristina Hinako) plots to humiliate Malvolio by conning him into thinking that Olivia fancies him. A forged letter is all that\u2019s needed to set Malvolio down the path of utter self-induced humiliation, much to the delight of Maria\u2019s partner-in-crime Sir Toby. Attention must be paid, as well, to the parallel story played out in town with Sebastian (Viola\u2019s twin, who likewise thinks he\u2019s a sole survivor) and his bosom buddy Antonio. Wyatt Moore and D\u2019Kameron Edmonson provide something of an anchor in reality here, as straight men (so to speak) to the mayhem and foolery and duels that break out all around them. Well done indeed, given the strange behavior of everybody they meet in this town.<\/p>\n Director Alaina Smith, in a stroke of genius, has chosen to stage this production in Regency style, costumed in early 1800s fashions that fans of a certain (ahem) hit Shondaland series on Netflix will instantly recognize. Savannah Bower has decked the cast in uniform and Regency-period gowns (depending on how the character chooses to be ID\u2019d). And where better to stage it than the grounds of Hope Point, a 200-year-old mansion sitting atop one of Lynchburg, Virginia\u2019s legendary seven hills? The mansion provides a natural setting as Olivia\u2019s own household, with actors entering through the front doorway and generally running around the grounds.<\/p>\n The Hope Point mansion, decked with wisteria, is a place where audiences can sit outdoors on blankets and folding chairs (if you\u2019ve brought \u2019em). Not only do you get a few welcome breezes off the mountains while you watch the show; you get to enjoy a production that makes full use of the great outdoors\u2014with the cast constantly scampering in and around the crowd, plenty of action in the periphery, wherever you look.<\/p>\n For me one of the absolute highlights of the show is the music\u2014pulled together by Tyree and the ensemble; not only are the song choices apt, but the harmonies they have developed are wonderful to hear, and speak to the best of the British folk tradition\u2014or any other one, for that matter. Led by that master troubadour Feste (played with charm and passion by Kyle Showalter), we are treated to everything from Fiona Apple to Counting Crows and Jim Croce. And that\u2019s just the pre-show and intermission material\u2014all of the songs Shakespeare peppered the play with are truly wonderfully done. Tristan Burke, meanwhile, rounds out the sound design with some nice, classical incidental music between scenes.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Twelfth-Night-Endstation-1000x800-1.jpg\")
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