Twelfth Night (Actors Co-op 2024 Production) Theatre Review

Though often the first two scenes of Twelfth Night are transposed, the first line of the text is “If music be the food of love, play on!” Not only does this new production of the play at David Schall Theatre open with the scenes in the proper order, it takes that first line to heart, and music becomes a key element of the performance. It feels designed not only to be the food of love for the characters, but for the audience as well. Directed by Michael T. Kachingwe, this production is given a modern setting somewhere in the South Pacific, though still referred to as Illyria, and features a strong cast, with standout performances by Mary Leeholland as Viola, Britny Horton as Maria and Howard Leder as Sir Andrew Aguecheek.

Though, as I mentioned, the opening scenes are presented in the order of the text, there is a moment before that, introducing the importance of music to the production as well as introducing the cast, as each member enters from various spots and engages in a dance to a prominent beat. It is a well-choreographed moment, and just before exiting, Jessica Woehler as Olivia, dons her veil. The stage itself has a spinning platform, so that the shifts in location from Olivia’s home to Orsino’s home are done quickly. Outside Orsino’s home, one of his attendants, played by Gavin Michael Harris, strums on a guitar and sings Sonnet 8, which leads to Orsino’s line “If music be the food of love, play on!” And it is when that attendant sings off-key, that Orsino (Antwon Mason, Jr.) delivers the line “Enough, no more,” which is wonderful. Orsino is dressed in bright gold, in contrast to Olivia’s mournful black, and also suggesting royalty (he is, after all, the Duke of Illyria). A brief sound effect of a storm leads to the second scene, as Viola (Mary Leeholland), with the help of the Captain (Ben Kientz) gets to shore. Viola is actually frightened when delivering her first line, “What country is this,” which works really well. It makes sense that she would be fearful rather than simply inquisitive, finding herself in a strange territory. And her delivery is heartbreaking when she mentions her brother, whom she believes to be drowned. Mary Leeholland is excellent here, even taking a moment to formulate her plan to serve the duke before voicing her intentions. And Mary Leeholland’s Viola is fairly convincing as a boy when dressed as Cesario. I love that on Orsino’s “thou art a man,” she instinctively adjusts her cap.

Sir Toby Belch (Isaac W. Jay) and Maria (Britny Horton) quickly establish a playful relationship, and are immediately loveable. Though Isaac W. Jay might at first seem a bit young for the role (he is uncle to Olivia), he does such a good job that his age is soon forgotten. On his “and drink in Illyria,” he pulls out a hidden bottle, and we get the sense that Sir Toby has bottles hidden all over Olivia’s home. We also sense that that’s not such a bad thing, for we side with those who are enjoying life, who are having fun. Howard Leder’s Sir Andrew Aguecheek is delightfully goofy and awkward and befuddled, while doing his best to not appear so, wearing a shirt that is half pink flamingos and half stripes. Malvolio (William Viriato) is in black shirt and shorts and bow tie, matching the mournful color of his mistress, and maintains a serious countenance and posture, standing straight as a post, his arms down at his sides. It’s particularly funny as the audience is well aware that he will not be able to maintain such a demeanor for long. Feste (Chloe Babbes) is in great contrast to Malvolio, in bright clothes and with a strong, vibrant energy. Maria’s reaction to Malvolio’s clapping for her attention is delightful. Britny Horton does a fantastic job of laying the groundwork so that when she devises the gulling of Malvolio, we in the audience cheer her on as much as Toby does.

Olivia is hilarious when giving the inventory of her beauty to Viola. As Viola says “Hallow your name,” we can see Olivia begin to get interested. And by the time Olivia says, “You might do much,” it is clear she is falling for Cesario. It is a delight watching the transformation of Olivia in this scene, and after Viola exits, she lets show her energy and joy. After “He left” in the line “He left this ring behind him,” Olivia looks around for something that Cesario could have conceivably forgotten, and not spotting anything, quickly removes her ring and finishes the line, a nice moment. Malvolio takes a great deal of joy in “returning” the ring to Cesario. It is clear that he lives for these moments, when he can speak ill of someone on his lady’s behalf. And it is another moment that prepares us to enjoy his gulling.

“O Mistress Mine” is sung to a recorded track with something of a dance beat. It is an interesting way of doing it, for the music comes partially from the characters and partially from the air, the atmosphere. It is as if there is always music about, and the characters can tap into it, join it. Sir Toby tries to join the song on a drum, but Feste is having none of that. However, on “Hold Thy Peace,” which is done without any recorded track, Toby is able to play the drum. When Malvolio is woken by this carousing, he appears in a black robe, a nice touch. He has clearly gone all out to adopt his lady’s mourning color. The most captivating element of this scene is Maria’s reaction to Malvolio. It has gone beyond mere irritation, and now she seems to have a need to strike back at him. Toby asks her, “What wilt thou do?” And that stops her for a moment, though in her expression we see that she is beginning to devise a plan. Andrew Aguecheek’s delivery of “I was ador’d once too” is actually sweet and touching. There is the sense that this poor buffoon was once loved. Feste’s next song is delivered to a track with a beat, but also to the guitar accompaniment of Orsino’s attendant. During the song, Orsino playfully grabs Cesario and engages in a dance, which initially alarms Viola. But then she and Orsino join Feste in the song. There is a wonderful moment when Feste drops out of the song, and the other two continue together, with Feste seeming to be aware of what is happening between them, which is great. Chloe Babbes’ Feste is more and more captivating to watch as the performance goes on. She is perhaps at her very best when pretending to be the priest Sir Topas while Malvolio is caged.

The actual gulling of Malvolio is far and away the funniest scene of the performance, and this production includes Fabian, who is sometimes cut (sometimes his lines are divided between Toby and Andrew, and sometimes Feste is added to the scene). It is great to have him here, and Kevin Shewey does a remarkable job in the role, adding to the spirit of the scene. Andrew’s delivery of “That’s me, I warrant you” is almost joyful, indicating he is happy just to be mentioned, to be thought of at all. And Malvolio’s line “I am happy” is nearly shouted, which is hilarious. But it is also the physical comedy of the scene which makes it so enjoyable, and each of the actors does a fantastic job here. This is where Malvolio comes alive. After he exits, the others come out to laugh at the results of their prank, and we in the audience are sad that the scene is over. But suddenly Malvolio comes running back on, shouting that there is a postscript, to the delight of all. And after that scene, Malvolio’s physical performance becomes different, as he feels more relaxed around Olivia. Apparently William Viriato has a background in dance, as his movement in his yellow cross-gartered stockings displays.

Ben Kientz, who played the Captain in the second scene, also plays Antonio to Victor H. Rodriguez’s Sebastian. It is interesting having the same actor save both Viola and Sebastian, for those two have in a way had the same experience, being rescued from the sea and left in unfamiliar surroundings. And they are, after all, twins. The problem, and it’s not unique to this production, is that the actors playing Viola and Sebastian do not resemble each other. Skin tone, height, build, hair are all markedly different. This Sebastian even has facial hair on his chin. And their voices are also quite different. Apart from their clothes, there are really no similarities at all. Yet, none of the other characters are able to tell the two apart. Orsino says, “One face, one voice, one habit,” and Antonio says, “An apple cleft in two is not more twin/Than these two creatures.” Olivia has married one of them, and still cannot tell them apart. So it really helps if they do resemble each other. But this production provides so much joy and laughter that the audience can largely look past that. As Feste sings the play’s final song, everyone comes out to dance, bringing us back to the beginning of the performance, and letting the music play on.

This production of Twelfth Night runs through May 12, 2024. Visit the theatre’s website for the complete schedule. There is one short intermission, which comes at the end of Act II. David Schall Theatre is located at 1760 N. Gower St. in Los Angeles, California. There is a free parking lot located directly across the street on Carlos Ave.

production photo by Zak Shelby-Szyszko