Theater Review—

Ramos’s Direction Makes ‘Twelfth Night’ Fun In Westport

By Julie Stern

WESTPORT — The first Shakespeare play I ever saw was a production of Twelfth Night, on a cramped little stage down in the Village.  I was 11 or 12, dragged by my parents in an  attempt to instill some culture. As it turned out, I was enchanted from the outset by the jolly green clown Feste, who took an integral part in the shenanigans of the vulgar comic characters, who were, of course, the ones I connected with.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking an adult guest who had never seen or read any Shakespeare to a very different performance of Twelfth Night, at Westport Country Playhouse, with an all Equity cast of Broadway veterans performing on a large stage. Happily my friend was delighted, and we had a great time.

Shakespearean comedies generally have two threads: the high characters who speak in poetry, must get their love lives untangled and end up properly matched; and the low characters, who speak in prose, are often bawdy, and their part in the story entails sassy insults, practical jokes, and general buffoonery. Under Mark Lamos’ direction, it is definitely this second group who capture the audience’s delighted attention, especially David Schramm (as Sir Toby Belch), Donnetta Lavinia Grays (Maria), David Adkins (Malvolio) and Darius de Haas (Fest)e.

I believe Twelfth Night is the happiest and most accessible of the Comedies. The conceit is that the twin brother and sister, Sebastian and Viola, are caught in a shipwreck, and washed up separately on the coast of Illyria, each believing the other to have drowned. For safety’s sake, Viola disguises herself as a young man named Cesario and enters into the service of the Duke Orsino, who charges “him” with the task of courting the beautiful countess, Olivia, who is in seclusion, mourning the death of her own beloved brother.

While she spurns Orsino’s affections, Olivia falls in love with the attractive “young man” who comes each day to press his master’s cause. At the same time, Viola/Cesario has fallen desperately in love with Orsino, who thinks “he” is the noblest young friend he has ever had. When Sebastian arrives in town, wearing the same outfit as his sister, and looking like a mirror image, complications will ensue. Certainly Sebastian is much more responsive to Olivia’s advances than poor Cesario ever was.

Meanwhile, Olivia’s uncle, the irrepressible Sir Toby Belch, and his rich but nerdy friend, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, spend their time carousing with Olivia’s maid, Maria, until they become angered by the self-righteous insults dealt them by Olivia’s steward, the gloomy Malvolio.

To get even, they cook up a plot to send him love letters, ostensibly from Olivia, that lead to Malvolio making a fool of himself, and ending up locked in a “madhouse” where he is visited by a “curate” (Feste).

In the Lamos interpretation of the play, emphasis is placed on the fact that Malvolio is a Puritan.

The two pairs of “high” lovers — Lucas Hall as Orsino and Mahira Kakkar as Viola, and Susan Kelechi Watson as Olivia and Rachid Sabitri as Sebastian — play their roles well. I just had the feeling that the audience, most of whom were quite familiar with the play, were anxious to cut to the comic chase.

Andrew Boyce’s scenic design and Tilly Grimes’ costumes sets the play in a vaguely Edwardian period. As Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Jordan Coughtry in a straw boater and striped blazer looks as though he had stumbled in from a performance of The Importance of Being Earnest. The seacoast is represented by sand liberally strewn about the stage, with most of the actors going barefoot, while crystal chandeliers overhead represent the opulence of the two noble establishments.

There is also the nice touch of an antique Victrola providing “accompaniment” to Feste’s songs, and the musical selections, running a gamut of styles from gospel to Charleston are delightful. When we saw the show, Darius De Haas performed from a wheelchair because of a serious accident two days before, but it didn’t cramp his style at all. The numbers were simply restaged to accommodate him (a fortunate move because he is so  wickedly good).

As I said, Twelfth Night is definitely accessible Shakespeare, and, if like my parents you want to introduce him to your 12-year-old, this is a fine way to go.  But it’s also an enjoyable venture for adults on their own. And you’ll be getting a genuine dose of culture!

(Performances continue until November 5. Please see the Enjoy Calendar, in print and online, for performance and ticket details.

The play has a running time of 2 hours and 20 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission, and those planning to attend should note the production does use strobe lights.)